Neuroticism and Extraversion: Contributions to Diagnosis of Dysthymia

Abstract

Dysthymic disorder can be characterized as a mild depression and persistent, lasting at least two years. Are described the symptoms more experienced on the subjective plane than objective? Mild neurovegetative symptom with long duration is the most frequent symptom experienced by the patients and is the landmark to differential diagnosis. It is interesting to investigate the relationship of these factors in the configuration of personality of the dysthymic. Starting from the assumption that the disorder is more experienced in the subjective level and perceived by the subject as an intrinsic part of their way of being, a model based on the configuration of these personality dimensions could contribute to a more reliable diagnosis. The present study aimed to investigate the configuration of Neuroticism and Extraversion factors in patients diagnosed with dysthymia. Participants, n = 568, 59.2% women and 40.8% men, mean age = 25 years, SD = 7.0. Results and Discussion, the studies 1 and 2 suggest the possibility the dysthymia be evaluated based on personality characteristics, revealing that this framework affects the character of the subject, or which is in itself an even psychological concept, because it is personality tendency. This assumption is based on the fact that patients with dysthymia have higher scores on neuroticism and lower extraversion because of the control group.