ScienceDaily: Borderline Personality Disorder News

Study supports alternative model for personality disorders in upcoming DSM-5

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:45:45 EDT

A new "alternative model" included in the upcoming Fifth Edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lines up well with the current approach to diagnosis of personality disorder, according to a new study.

Subtle hallmarks of psychiatric illness can reveal themselves even remotely

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:59:59 EDT

Researchers discovered that healthy people and those with borderline personality disorder displayed different patterns of behavior while playing an online strategy game, so much so that when healthy players played people with borderline personality disorder, they gave up on trying to predict what their partners would do next.

Borderline personality disorder: The 'perfect storm' of emotion dysregulation

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:14:14 EST

Originally, the label “borderline personality disorder” was applied to patients who were thought to represent a middle ground between patients with neurotic and psychotic disorders. Increasingly, though, this area of research has focused on the heightened emotional reactivity observed in patients carrying this diagnosis, as well as the high rates with which they also meet diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder and mood disorders.

Effective treatment helps Danes with personality disorders

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:10:10 EDT

A new study shows that modern psychoanalytic therapy has a good effect on patients with severe personality disorders. The treatment enables a number of patients to start working or start an education.

Traumatic childhood may increase the risk of drug addiction

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:34:34 EDT

Previous research has shown that personality traits such as impulsivity or compulsiveness are indicators of an increased risk of addiction. Now, new research suggests that these impulsive and compulsive personality traits are also associated with a traumatic upbringing during childhood.

Adolescents' personalities and coping habits affect social behaviors

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:48:48 EDT

A new study by a human development expert describes how adolescents' developing personalities and coping habits affect their behaviors toward others.

Teenage mind: First time evidence links over interpretation of social situations to personality disorder

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:24:24 EDT

Researchers have became interested in the way people think, how they organize thoughts, execute a decision, then determine whether a decision is good or bad.

Quitting smoking enhances personality change

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:29:29 EDT

Researchers have found evidence that shows those who quit smoking show improvements in their overall personality.

Personality plays role in body weight: Impulsivity strongest predictor of obesity

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:14:14 EDT

People with personality traits of high neuroticism and low conscientiousness are likely to go through cycles of gaining and losing weight throughout their lives, according to an examination of 50 years of data. Impulsivity was the strongest predictor of who would be overweight, the researchers found.

Childhood sexual abuse may be a risk factor for later psychotic illness

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:18:18 EDT

An Australian study suggests that children who are sexually abused, especially if it involves penetration, appear to be at higher risk for developing schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, according to a new study.

Four kinds of compulsive gamblers identified

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:33:33 EDT

Disorganized and emotionally unstable, poorly adapted, suffering from alcohol problems, impulsive, or with a "globally adapted" personality. These are the features of the four diagnosed types of compulsive gamblers identified by researchers in Spain. According to the scientific team, only one of these four shows signs of a significant pathology.

New way to classify personality disorders proposed

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:19:19 EDT

New research is playing a key role in the effort to change the way mental health clinicians classify personality disorders.

Hurts so good: Neural clues to the calming effects of self-harm

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:49:49 EDT

The notion that cutting or burning oneself could provide relief from emotional distress is difficult to understand for most people, but it is an experience reported commonly among people who compulsively hurt themselves.

Impulsivity-related problem drinking decreases greatly for 18- to 25-year-olds

Mon, 31 May 2010 19:08:08 EDT

Impulsivity normally decreases during emerging and young adulthood and is associated with reduced substance abuse. Not all individuals, however, "mature out" of impulsive behavior. A new study has found that 18-to-25-year-olds exhibited the largest declines in impulsivity as well as the sharpest decreases in alcohol consumption.

Widely used screening scale may misidentify borderline personality disorder as bipolar disorder

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:16:16 EDT

A widely-used screening tool for bipolar disorder may incorrectly indicate bipolar disorder for patients suffering from borderline personality disorder. Researchers assessed the Mood Disorder Questionnaire which is the most widely-used and studied screening tool for bipolar disorder.

New Ways To Predict Violent Behavior?

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:26:26 EDT

In the future, diagnosing severe personality disorders, evaluating the childhood environment, assessing alcohol consumption and the analysis of the MAOA genotype may provide more accurate means for assessing risk among violent offenders, according to the research carried out jointly at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

If Bipolar Disorder Is Over-diagnosed, What Are The Actual Diagnoses?

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:09:09 EDT

A year ago, researchers reported that fewer than half the patients previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder received an actual diagnosis of bipolar disorder after using a comprehensive, psychiatric diagnostic interview tool -- the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. In this follow-up study, the researchers have determined the actual diagnoses of those patients.

Possible Genetic Causes Of Borderline Personality Disorder Identified

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:41:41 EST

Scientists have found that genetic material on chromosome nine was linked to BPD features, a disorder characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image and behavior, and can lead to suicidal behavior, substance abuse and failed relationships.

Palm Pilots Bridge Communication Gap Between Therapists And Patients

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:47:47 EST

Palm Pilots already perform a variety of functions, and in the future, they may be used as a therapeutic tool that benefits people with personality disorders. In a new study, researchers used Palm Pilots as electronic diaries to record and analyze mood variability in patients with borderline personality disorder and found that the devices helped bridge an important communication gap between therapists and patients.

A New Light On The Brains Of People With Borderline Personality Disorder

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:43:43 EDT

In a game of give and get, the brains of people with borderline personality disorder often don't get it. In fact, an interactive economic game played between two people in functional magnetic resonance imaging devices revealed a brain malfunction associated with the disorder, a serious but common mental illness that affects a person's perceptions of the world and other people, according to an article in Science.

Increased Risk Of Smoking, Substance Abuse In Bipolar Adolescents Confirmed

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:55:55 EDT

A new study supports previous reports that adolescents with bipolar disorder are at increased risk for smoking and substance abuse. The article also indicates that bipolar-associated risk is independent of the risk conferred by other disorders affecting study participants.

Personality Disorders Cause Emotional Reactions In Staff

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:58:58 EDT

The way in which professional care workers respond emotionally to substance abuse patients with personality disorders depends on the type of disorder. The idea that the emotional reactions of a professional to his or her patient may play an important part in psychotherapeutic treatment dates back to the work of Sigmund Freud.

Brain Abnormalities Underlying Key Element Of Borderline Personality Disorder Identified

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:47:47 EST

Using new approaches scientists have gained a view of activity in key brain areas associated with a core difficulty in patients with borderline personality disorder -- shedding new light on this serious psychiatric condition.

Impulsivity May Especially Vex Alcoholics With Antisocial And Borderline Personality Disorders

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 18:30:30 EDT

Impulsivity is a problem common to many different personality and psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism. A new study that looked at impulsivity among alcoholic subpopulations has found that, one, the inability to delay gratification may be a vulnerability marker for alcoholism, and two, certain inhibitory-control issues may be specific to antisocial and borderline personality disorders.

Borderline Personality Disorder Care Inadequate, According To Psychiatric Nurses

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:57:57 EDT

Eighty percent of psychiatric nurses believe people with borderline personality disorder -- a serious mental health illness that affects 1 in 50 adults -- receive inadequate care. Researchers found that more than a quarter of the nurses surveyed had daily contact with patients with BPD, yet only three per cent had received even minimal post-graduate training in BPD.

Borderline Personality Disorder Shows Improvements With Intensive Psychotherapy

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 12:11:11 EDT

An intensive form of talk therapy, known as transference-focused psychotherapy, can help individuals affected with borderline personality disorder by reducing symptoms and improving their social functioning, according to a recent article.

Childhood Abuse Can Impact Victims' Adult Relationships

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:56:56 EDT

Abused children may have a difficult time developing adult relationships with new people who reminded them of their abusive parent, even if only implicitly, according to a recent study published in the November issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, an official publication of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, published by SAGE Publications.

Why Some People React Aggressively Without Provocation While Others Don't

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 02:29:29 EDT

Specific personality variables, such as anger or irritability, predict the tendency to either engage in aggressive behavior willingly or to engage in aggressive behavior when provoked.

Physiological Markers For Cutting, Other Self-harming Behaviors By Teenage Girls Found

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 13:50:50 EDT

Non-fatal, self-inflicted injuries by adolescent and young adult females have become major public health problems and researchers have found physiological evidence that this behavior may lead to a more serious psychological condition called borderline personality disorder.

Intermittent Explosive Disorder Affects Up To 16 Million Americans

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 09:23:23 EDT

A little-known mental disorder marked by episodes of unwarranted anger is more common than previously thought. Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) affects as many as 7.3 percent of adults -- 11.5 - 16.0 million Americans -- in their lifetimes. People with IED may attack others and their possessions, causing bodily injury and property damage. Typically beginning in the early teens, the disorder often precedes -- and may predispose for -- later depression, anxiety and substance abuse disorders.

Extreme Personality Poses Risk Of ADHD, Conduct Disorder

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 17:46:46 EST

Children with personalities marked by aggressiveness, mood swings, a sense of alienation and a need for excitement may be at greater risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or conduct disorder, according to a new Florida State University study.

Long Thought Inflexible, Personality Disorders Show Evidence Of Change

Tue, 05 Oct 2004 07:32:32 EDT

Personality disorder symptoms are supposed to be stable, enduring, and persistent across the lifespan, however researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York, and Harvard report evidence that such disabling psychiatric conditions are flexible and appreciable change over time is possible.