The Parkinsonian Personality and Concomitant Depression

Parkinson's disease (PD) has been associated with a distinctive parkinsonian personality, characterized by conscientiousness, punctuality, industriousness, and reduced novelty-seeking, as compared with healthy elderly persons. Similar traits are identified in relation to depression. The objective of the study was to elucidate the relationship between the parkinsonian personality and depression. Thirty-two depressed and 86 nondepressed PD patients and 30 healthy control subjects completed the NEO-Personality Inventory Revised Short Version. PD patients with depression displayed a distinct personality profile, with increased Neuroticism and reduced Extroversion, as compared with nondepressed PD patients and control subjects. It seems plausible that a subgroup of PD patients possesses a distinct personality profile that renders them sensitive to development of depression, although the reverse might also be possible.