 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on October 8, 2010Â
New research suggests an individual’s personality may mask symptoms of depression, delaying appropriate care.
Researchers discovered personality affects the accuracy of reports by friends and family members of mood history and symptoms and can cause missed diagnoses of depression.
Friends and family members of a person who is highly outgoing and fun-loving and who is likely to experience happiness and excitement, for example, often miss the signs that indicate the person is depressed.
“When a person who has enjoyed socializing and whose mood normally is positive becomes depressed, friends and family often don’t recognize it. Depression is inconsistent with the expectations that people have,†said Paul R. Duberstein, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Missed diagnoses and “false negatives†can have grave consequences for patients with depression or mood disorders, the researchers stated.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/10/08/personality-may-hide-depression/19358.html
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