Changes on the Temperament and Character Inventory following Paroxetine Treatment in Patients with GAD.

agonist, venlafaxine, or placebo. Upon completion or early termination of the study period, all volunteers were offered regular open-label treatment with paroxetine 10 to 40 mg daily, and no other treatment such as psychotherapy. After 4 to 6 months of paroxetin treatment a total of 29 volunteers participated in a follow-up survey. Two volunteers could not be included as they had stopped treatment or submitted incomplete data. Before entering the medication trials, and following 4 to 6 months of paroxetine treatment, the 29 volunteers completed the Temperament and Character Inventory, Swedish version 3.1. The Temperament and Character Inventory is a battery of tests designed to assess differences in seven basic dimensions of temperament and character (Cloninger 1987, Cloninger et al 1993). According to the underlying theory, GAD patients, like any with an anxiety disorder, score high in Harm Avoidance compared with controls. The scores were analyzed by paired t-tests. Results Compared with the untreated baseline, the mean score for Harm Avoidance was markedly reduced following continuous treatment with paroxetine (Table 1). Another temperament dimension - Novelty Seeking - was also increased. The character dimension called Self-Directedness increased markedly, and a small increase was noted in Cooperativeness.