Robert M Gordon
American Psychological Association, USA
Title: Anxiety and depression as expressions of personality syndromes
Biography
Biography: Robert M Gordon
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Anxiety and depression are often viewed in terms of just symptoms when they may be personality syndromes. They can be life long styles of personality, which require a different type of treatment. The Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual -2 (PDM-2) is a new taxonomy that has reformulated mental disturbances. The PDM-2 includes Anxious and Depressive personality syndromes. The Personality Syndromes in the PDM-2 are: Depressive, Dependent, Anxious, Obsessive and Compulsive, Schizoid, Somatizing, Hysterical, Narcissistic, Paranoid, Psychopathic, Sadistic, and Borderline Personalities. They are arranged in order from internalizing to externalizing. Each personality syndrome may be organized at the neurotic, borderline or psychotic levels. The PDM-2 uses the Psychodiagnostic Chart-2 as an assessment tool (PDC-2, search for a copy to help understand and score the PDM-2). Robert Bornstein and I developed the PDC so that practitioners could easily operationalize the PDM-2. The PDM-2 also assesses mental functions. For example, no two people with depression will have the same prognosis since they may differ in such mental functions as insightfulness, ability to relate, ability to learn and so on.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Although the PDM-2 is based in psychodynamic theory, the taxonomy is based on empirical research and the taxonomy has been found to be helpful to practitioners of all the major theoretical orientations.
Conclusions & Significance: When anxiety and/or depression are personality syndromes, they often do not respond well to medications or psychotherapies that just focus on the symptoms. That is because the anxiety and depression are part of who the person is, rather than just what they have.
Recommendations: A through psychological assessment and a PDM-2 formulation is needed to help determine if the anxiety and depression are symptoms (as in an adjustment disorder) or if they are personality syndromes. The latter requires long-term work on identity for any lasting changes to occur.
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