Attribution style and reaction to frustration play an important part in both depression and paranoia. The objective was to study the attribution style and frustration reaction between persistent delusional psychosis with depression and persistent without depression.

Fourty patients diagnosed with ICD 10 persistent delusional disorder with a period of evolution of 8 years, was grouped into 2 subgroups:

1. a) with depression and

2. b) without depression.

All are part of the Cases Registrer of Timisoara Psychiatric Clinic (CRPTC) which monitors the functional psychoses from 1985. For each patient was applied in period of remission BPRS (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale), ASQ (Attributional Style Questionnaire) and Rosenzweig frustration test.

The persistent delusional psychosis without depressive features present a more internal and less stable attributions of the negative events. For the positive events, the stability and globality is higher for those with depression. Concerning the response to frustrating situations, persistent delusional psychosis with depression give answers prevailling extrapunitiveness, whereas those without depression give prevailling need-persistence answers. There are significant similarities between the two groups concerning the type of persisting necessity.

Among the persistent delusional psychosis, those with depressive features demonstrate an agresivity directed more towards exterior in the frustrating situations and associate less the negative events with their own personality than the pure persistent delusional.