In Review Personality and Depression

linicians and researchers alike have long noted the preva-lence of personality pathology in individuals with MDD. Indeed, the clarification of the personality features associated with major depression, and the implications of these associa-tions for the understanding and care of major depression, have been the focus of much empirical work. Which personality features are common to individuals with MDD? What is the causal significance of this cooccurrence? Can clinicians make use of personality information during the assessment or treat-ment of depressed individuals? This review aims to shed some light upon these questions, through a review of personality models and their associations with major depression, the etio-logical connections that may underlie these associations, and the implications that personality may have for the diagnosis La Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, vol 53, no 1, janvier 200814 Objective: To examine the implications of the association between personality and depression for the understanding, assessment, and treatment of major depression. Method: A broad range of peer-reviewed manuscripts relevant to personality and depression was reviewed. Particular emphasis was placed on etiology, stability, diagnosis, and treatment implications. Results: Personality features in depressed samples reliably differ from those of healthy samples. The associations between personality and depression are consistent with a variety of causal models; these models can best be compared through longitudinal research. Research demonstrates that attention to personality features can be useful in diagnosis and treatment. Indeed, personality information has been on the forefront of recent efforts to advance the current diagnostic classification system. Moreover, personality dimensions have shown recent promise in the prediction of differential treatment outcome. For example, neuroticism is associated with preferential response to pharmacotherapy rather than psychotherapy. Conclusions: Consideration of personality features is crucial to the understanding and management of major depression