scholarly journals Reviewing the clinical significance of ‘fear of abandonment’ in borderline personality disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Venura Palihawadana ◽  
Jillian H Broadbear ◽  
Sathya Rao
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Clinical Significance ◽  
English Language ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Treatment Interventions ◽  
Therapeutic Engagement ◽  
Therapy Target ◽  
Fear Of Abandonment

Objectives: To review and highlight the clinical significance of the symptom ‘fear of abandonment’ in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted using MEDLINE and PubMed, employing search terms including ‘fear of abandonment’, ‘borderline personality disorder’ and ‘rejection’. The most relevant English-language articles and books were selected for this review. Results: Fear of abandonment is widely recognised as a core symptom in BPD; a biopsychosocial explanation for the occurrence of the symptom is presented. While fear of abandonment may differ in its clinical presentation, it has a significant impact on therapeutic engagement, suicidal behaviour and non-suicidal self-injury, clinical management and prognosis. Most evidence based psychotherapies for BPD address the phenomenon of fear of abandonment; however, the lack of specifically targeted treatment interventions is disproportionate to its prominence and clinical significance. Conclusions: Given its defining role in BPD, we recommend fear of abandonment as an important subject of future research and a specific therapy target.

What is the clinical significance of chronic emptiness in borderline personality disorder?

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Elsner ◽  
Jillian H Broadbear ◽  
Sathya Rao
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Clinical Significance ◽  
English Language ◽  
Symptom Burden ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Search Terms

Objective: The objective of this study was to review the clinical significance of the experience of chronic emptiness in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted using MEDLINE and PubMed, employing search terms including ‘emptiness’, ‘personality disorder’ and ‘borderline personality disorder’. The most relevant English-language articles and books were selected for this review. Results: Published literature and clinical experience suggest that chronic emptiness represents a substantial component of the symptom burden experienced by people with BPD, contributes to functional impairment and may distinguish BPD from other disorders such as major depressive disorder. Conclusions: Further research will elucidate the significance of chronic emptiness with regard to diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of BPD.

Failures to Imagine

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reed Maxwell ◽  
Steven Jay Lynn ◽  
Scott Lilienfeld
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Mental Imagery ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Visual Mental Imagery

Although interest in the relationship between mental imagery and psychopathology has increased greatly over the last decade, few publications to date have examined relationships between personality-related psychopathology and mental imagery use, abilities, or both. However, we have reason to expect that substantive relationships may exist. For example, studies have consistently linked psychopathy and borderline personality disorder to problems in emotion experience and emotion regulation, and a growing number of studies indicate that deficits in visual mental imagery use and ability in particular may contribute to such problems. Using correlational data from multiple self-report measures of normal and pathological personality functioning and visual mental imagery, our study presents preliminary evidence for lower levels of self-reported visual mental imagery use, abilities, or both among noncriminal individuals with higher levels of self-reported psychopathy and individuals with greater emotional regulation difficulties, a core feature of borderline personality disorder. We also found significant relationships among self-reported visual mental imagery use, ability, or both, and personality variables shown to strongly predict psychopathy and emotional regulation difficulties. Limitations of the study, especially its reliance on a correlational, cross-sectional design, are discussed, and implications for future research are explored.

scholarly journals Borderline personality disorder classification based on brain network measures during emotion regulation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk Cremers ◽  
Linda van Zutphen ◽  
Sascha Duken ◽  
Gregor Domes ◽  
Andreas Sprenger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Classification Analysis ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
Network Measures

AbstractBorderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by an increased emotional sensitivity and dysfunctional capacity to regulate emotions. While amygdala and prefrontal cortex interactions are regarded as the critical neural mechanisms underlying these problems, the empirical evidence hereof is inconsistent. In the current study, we aimed to systematically test different properties of brain connectivity and evaluate the predictive power to detect borderline personality disorder. Patients with borderline personality disorder (n = 51), cluster C personality disorder (n = 26) and non-patient controls (n = 44), performed an fMRI emotion regulation task. Brain network analyses focused on two properties of task-related connectivity: phasic refers to task-event dependent changes in connectivity, while tonic was defined as task-stable background connectivity. Three different network measures were estimated (strength, local efficiency, and participation coefficient) and entered as separate models in a nested cross-validated linear support vector machine classification analysis. Borderline personality disorder vs. non-patient controls classification showed a balanced accuracy of 55%, which was not significant under a permutation null-model, p = 0.23. Exploratory analyses did indicate that the tonic strength model was the highest performing model (balanced accuracy 62%), and the amygdala was one of the most important features. Despite being one of the largest data-sets in the field of BPD fMRI research, the sample size may have been limited for this type of classification analysis. The results and analytic procedures do provide starting points for future research, focusing on network measures of tonic connectivity, and potentially focusing on subgroups of BPD.

scholarly journals Identifying Core Deficits in a Dimensional Model of Borderline Personality Disorder Features: A Network Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 685-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew W. Southward ◽  
Jennifer S. Cheavens
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Interpersonal Problems ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Affective Intensity ◽  
Core Deficits

Researchers have proposed three core deficits of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): emotion dysregulation, interpersonal problems, and self-identity disturbance. Previous methods for testing these deficits rest on problematic assumptions (e.g., the assumption that observable/measured features of BPD, such as chaotic relationships and affective intensity, occur independently). A network model of psychopathology assumes that observable features of disorders directly interact, and network analytic methods quantify how central each feature is. We conducted a network analysis of core deficits of BPD features using a large ( N = 4,386) sample of participants with a range of BPD features. The most central features of participants in the High BPD group were loneliness, recklessness/impulsivity, and intense moods, supporting models of emotion dysregulation and interpersonal problems. The networks of BPD features did not differ between men and women. We provide directions for future research to enhance our understanding of how networks of BPD features change over time.

Affective Processing in Young Adults with Borderline Personality Disorder

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
S. Herpertz
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Young Adulthood ◽  
Affect Regulation ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Brain Maturation ◽  
Affective Processing ◽  
Future Research

Individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder usually seek for treatment as adolescents or young adults. As age progresses, longitudinal studies suggest that borderline patients improve psychosocially, suggesting that they may somewhat belatedly achieve the milestones of young adulthood. Affect regulation may be particularly subject to major changes in young adulthood, as the prefrontal brain areas involved in affective processing underlie maturation processes up into the late third decade. From studies in healthy volunteers we know that that the capacity to process positive affects improves with age. Young adults with borderline personality disorder, however, display a negativity bias in emotion recognition and they have difficulties in inhibiting the recall of negative information. Neuroimaging data suggest that they suffer from deficient implicit affect regulation but they are able to profit from explicit strategies to suppress negative emotions, an observation which could have interesting implications for treatment. Regarding future research more efforts on developmental psychopathology on the one hand, brain maturation on the other will help to further understand the nature of borderline personality disorder. Regarding clinical issues early treatment designed to foster affect regulating competencies and self-esteem and to develop interpersonal skills might benefit young patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

Pharmacotherapy of the Borderline Patient: A Critical Review and Clinical Guidelines

1989 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.P. Kutcher ◽  
D.H.R. Blackwood
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
Clinical Guidelines ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Clinical Use ◽  
Borderline Patient ◽  
Psychotropic Agents

The literature on the pharmacotherapy of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is critically reviewed, and suggestions for the appropriate clinical use of psychotropic agents and directions for future research are made.

scholarly journals Service user experiences of mentalisation-based treatment for borderline personality disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diarmaid Ó. Lonargáin ◽  
Suzanne Hodge ◽  
Rachael Line
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Service User ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Individual Therapy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
User Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Previous research indicates that mentalisation-based treatment (MBT) is an effective therapeutic programme for difficulties associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The purpose of this paper is to explore service user experiences of the therapy. Design/methodology/approach Seven adults (five female and two male), recruited via three NHS trusts, were interviewed. Participants were attending intensive out-patient MBT for BPD between 3 and 14 months. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings Participants experienced the group component of MBT as challenging and unpredictable. They highlighted developing trust as key to benefitting from MBT. This was much more difficult to achieve in group sessions than in individual therapy, particularly for those attending MBT for less than five or six months. The structure of MBT generally worked well for participants but they identified individual therapy as the core component in achieving change. All participants learned to view the world more positively due to MBT. Practical implications Enhanced mentalisation capacity may help address specific challenges associated with BPD, namely, impulsivity and interpersonal difficulties. MBT therapists are confronted with the ongoing task of creating a balance between sufficient safety and adequate challenge during MBT. Potential benefits and drawbacks of differing structural arrangements of MBT programmes within the UK are considered. Originality/value Learning about service user perspectives has facilitated an enhanced understanding of experiences of change during MBT in addition to specific factors that may impact mentalisation capacity throughout the programme. These factors, in addition to implications for MBT and suggestions for future research, are discussed.

scholarly journals Body Image in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Systematic Review of the Emerging Empirical Literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 4264
Author(s):  
Magdalena Wayda-Zalewska ◽  
Barbara Kostecka ◽  
Katarzyna Kucharska
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Body Image Disturbances

As an element of distorted self-image, body image disturbances may be relevant to borderline personality disorder (BPD). Therefore, this systematic review aims to critically discuss and summarize empirical findings in this matter. Based on the available theoretical models, three body image components were identified: (a) perception, (b) affect and cognition, and (c) general body dissatisfaction. We conducted a systematic search of the empirical literature published in English in the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases until June 2021 using a priori eligibility criteria (BPD; BPD symptoms or features in nonclinical groups; quasipsychotic or psychotic symptoms were not considered). We included k = 10 records meeting the criteria. Compared with other analyzed groups, individuals diagnosed with BPD obtained higher scores in the three components of body image disturbances. The issue of body image in BPD is relatively understudied, although current research findings clearly indicate disturbances in all of the abovementioned body image components in individuals with BPD or significant relationships of these components with BPD traits or symptoms both in clinical and nonclinical samples. Eventually, possible practical implications and future research directions are also discussed.

scholarly journals The Role of Impairments in Self–Other Distinction in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Narrative Review of Recent Evidence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celine De Meulemeester ◽  
Benedicte Lowyck ◽  
Patrick Luyten
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Self And Other

Impairments in maintaining a differentiated sense of “self” and “other” are thought to be a central feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, studies directly focusing on self–other distinction (SOD) in BPD are scarce, and these findings have not yet been integrated with novel insights into the neural mechanism involved in SOD. Here, we present a narrative review of recent behavioral and neuroimaging findings focusing on impairments in SOD in BPD. Behavioral findings of SOD at the embodied level provide preliminary evidence for impairments in multisensory integration in BPD. Furthermore, both behavioral and neuroscientific data converge to suggest that SOD impairments in BPD reflect an inability to shift between self and other representations according to task demands. Research also suggests that disruptions in infant–caregiver synchrony may play a role in the development of these impairments. Based on these findings, we present a new, integrative model linking impairments in SOD to reduced neural and behavioral synchrony in BPD. The implications of these findings for future research and clinical interventions are outlined.

scholarly journals Psychopharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Antipsychotic Agents ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Omega 3 Fatty Acid ◽  
Atypical Antipsychotic Agents

The best available evidence for psychopharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is outlined here. BPD is defined by disturbances in identity and interpersonal functioning, and patients report potential medication treatment targets such as impulsivity, aggression, transient psychotic and dissociative symptoms, and refractory affective instability Few randomized controlled trials of psychopharmacological treatments for BPD have been published recently, although multiple reviews have converged on the effectiveness of specific anticonvulsants, atypical antipsychotic agents, and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. Stronger evidence exists for medication providing significant improvements in impulsive aggression than in affective or other interpersonal symptoms. Future research strategies will focus on the potential role of neuropeptide agents and medications with greater specificity for 2A serotonin receptors, as well as optimizing concomitant implementation of evidence-based psychotherapy and psychopharmacology, in order to improve BPD patients' overall functioning.

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