People who are orderly, perfectionistic, and goal-oriented in their youth may be more vulnerable to depression and suicidal thoughts or behaviors later in life. This is shown by research conducted by physician-researcher in psychiatry, Anna Szücs, who studied the relationship between personality and mental health in older age.
Depression and suicidal behavior are common among older adults and represent a growing public health concern. Yet these issues often go unnoticed, since well-known warning signs—such as a psychiatric history or previous suicide attempts—are frequently absent in older individuals.
Szücs examined which personality traits contribute to either increased or decreased vulnerability to depression and suicide. Her research focused on three main themes:
- General risk and protective factors for depression and suicidal behavior in older adults;
- The role of personality in depression, suicide risk, and help-seeking behavior;
- Behavioral expressions of vulnerable personality traits, with special attention to narcissism and feelings of social defeat.
Different personality types, different risks
Szücs shows that multiple vulnerability profiles exist for depression and suicide risk in later life. A striking finding is that older adults with a rigid, perfectionistic, and controlling personality style—often highly successful and conscientious for many years—may actually be more prone to psychological distress when faced with age-related changes, such as loss of status or autonomy.
This so-called “overcontrolled” type differs sharply from “undercontrolled” personality types, such as those with impulsive, borderline, or narcissistic traits. In the latter group, the risk of psychological problems usually appears early in life and persists over time.
According to Szücs, this calls for a tailored approach to prevention and treatment:“Not everyone who becomes depressed later in life fits the same mold. By better understanding personality, we can detect mental health problems earlier and treat them more effectively.”
More attention to personality in healthcare
Szücs’ research highlights the importance of integrating personality profiling into clinical practice. Information about personality traits is often not collected systematically, even though reliable, short questionnaires exist that patients can complete within a minute—for example, while waiting for their appointment.
By gaining more insight into an individual’s personality profile, healthcare providers can better interpret medical and psychosocial information and personalize treatment approaches. In this way, Szücs’ research contributes to a new perspective on prevention—one that focuses not only on symptoms, but also on who a person is.More information on this research