
- Vol 39, Issue 6
Mothers With Borderline Personality Disorder Often Experience Trauma
Mothers with borderline personality disorder often have experienced early-life trauma. How can you help?
To read the connecting article, see "
Mothers with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often have experienced early-life trauma, especially attachment trauma. BPD is a clinical challenge for several reasons and is associated with treatment-refractory depression and anxiety.1,2 Limited symptom improvement is often seen with psychotropic medications.3,4 Effective psychotherapy, such as dialectical behavioral therapy, is intensive, often expensive, and frequently difficult to access.5
BPD symptoms can directly limit patients’ ability to consistently engage in treatment. Additionally, BPD is associated with prominent safety concerns, with self-harm behaviors common and seen in around 50% of patients.6 Patients with BPD often struggle with safety-interfering behaviors like substance use.6 BPD is associated with a high rate of completed suicide, commonly cited at up to 10%.7 Although there are limited data about how BPD symptoms shift over the life span, we know that as a complete diagnostic entity, it has low prospective diagnostic stability, cited at 37% in 1 study across a study period of 18 years.8 Some theorize a burnout over time, in which symptoms may become less prevalent with age, with the largest change seen after age 44.8
Some studies describe a more nuanced life span process, wherein affective lability, relationship challenges, and impairments in sense of self persist, but impulsivity improves over time.8 Overall, little is known about fluctuations in symptoms and diagnosis across the reproductive period and in relation to the experience of motherhood.8
References
1. Grilo CM, Stout RL, Markowitz JC, et al.
2. Young M.
3. Ceresa A, Esposito CM, Buoli M.
4. Lieb K, Völlm B, Rücker G, et al.
5. Cristea IA, Gentili C, Cotet CD, et al.
6. Sansone RA, Wiederman MW, Sansone LA, Monteith D.
7. Paris J, Zweig-Frank H.
8. Videler AC, Hutsebaut J, Schulkens JEM, et al.
Articles in this issue
over 3 years ago
Cultural Issues in Caring for Patients With Psychosisover 3 years ago
Beyond Schizophrenia: Contemporary Perspectives on Psychosesover 3 years ago
Narcolepsy: Making the Right Diagnosisover 3 years ago
The Algebra of Kindnessover 3 years ago
Gender and Sex Issues in Bipolar Disorderover 3 years ago
Asking Questions, Finding AnswersNewsletter
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