We obtained neuroticism scores on 1915 women with recurrent MDD and 2275 controls. The distribution of neuroticism scores is strikingly different in the two groups, “J” shaped in the controls and approximating a normal distribution in the cases (Fig. 1). The mean neuroticism score for cases is 12.7 (median 13) and the mean neuroticism score for controls is 3.6 (median 2). The difference between the two distributions is highly significant (t > 58, permutation derived P value < 0.0001).
