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.
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