Neuroticism and Depression: A Possible Link?

Neuroticism is a trait best described by the negative effect one experiences with certain life stressors. It is an uncontrollable response which encompasses the feeling of worry, fear, anxiety, envy, jealousy, etc. to certain triggers. Neuroticism is a key feature observed in individuals with anxiety and/or depression, and may even be a certain indicator that someone may develop these disorders in the future.

Similar to this phenomena of neuroticism in mood disorders, researcher Dr. Stewart Shankman spoke to Loyola University Chicago about the screening process of certain individuals with these disorders and how they reacted to either threat or reward. Participants specifically with panic disorder were shown threatening stimuli and were measured for their response to the threat. They showed a higher sensitivity to certain threats, and therefore they observed a direct connection with panic disorder and threat sensitivity. Similarly, participants with major depressive disorder were observed in their response to rewarding stimuli. The results of that portion of the study showed their reduced response to the specific stimuli. He concluded that within his study, there was a correlation between individuals with these disorders and how they perceived certain stressful or rewarding situations.

Similar areas are affected in brains with high levels of neuroticism and in brains with depression.

When examining neuroticism in individuals with anxiety or depression, the same level of logic applies. Individuals with depression and/or anxiety display a high level of neuroticism, and it “was an especially strong predictor of the particularly pernicious state of developing both anxiety and depression”, according to Richard Zinbarg, Professor of Psychology at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University. This idea was further tested and implemented in a 2005 study conducted by Maya Tamir and Michael Robinson on undergraduates with high or low levels of neuroticism.  These students were required to rate certain words as positive or negative and were timed at how fast they categorized the words. Students known to be high in neuroticism were quicker to judge certain words negatively than students low in neuroticism.  This study showed how individuals with high levels of neuroticism inclined towards negative stimuli faster than positive stimuli, a possible indicator that they may be more perceptive towards negative affect priming. As Dr. Shankman viewed in his study, the sensitivity to reward was low for participants with depression, which is similar to the response of the students in the 2005 study. These studies, among others, have concluded that neuroticism is a deciding factor in the deduction of someone with an affective disorder.

As researchers delve into further exploration of neuroticism in relation to these disorders, they have also found connections that neuroticism may make individuals more susceptible to negative emotions like anger, fear, irritability, etc. Although this may be the case, research is continually being done to implement a better screening process for highly neurotic individuals in detecting these disorders before they become extreme or debilitating. Presently, however, people suffering from high levels of neuroticism should be given a second look, for the line between a neurotic and a depressed individual may not be as rigid as once previously thought. 

Sources:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140422121237.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160127132619.htm

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201010/the-neuroticism-paradox

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892199/ 

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