Bedside Stuffed Animals and Borderline Personality

We explored the relationship between psychiatric diagnosis and the presence of stuffed animals at the bedside in a population of adult female psychiatric inpatients. One of the authors made approximately weekly surveys of the wardrooms of adult psychiatric inpatients over twelve months for the presence of displayed stuffed animals. The observer was blind to the diagnosis of 80% of the patients, and the study or its hypothesis was not known to other physicians. The discharge diagnoses of patients displaying stuffed animals were recorded and compared with those of the ward population in general. Among 36 female patients who displayed stuffed animals in their rooms, Borderline Personality Disorder was diagnosed in 22 (61%) of these patients. Of 447 adult female patients admitted to the same unit over the same period, only 17% were noted to be diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder. Stuffed animals as a bedside clinical clue may suggest evaluation for Borderline Personality Disorder.