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Psychopathology 2020The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (5th Edition) Alternative Model of Personality Disorders includes a dimensional trait model to describe... (Review)
Review
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (5th Edition) Alternative Model of Personality Disorders includes a dimensional trait model to describe individual differences in the manifestation of personality pathology. Empirically derived quantitative trait models of psychopathology address many of the structural problems of classical diagnostic schemes (e.g., nonbinary distributions, excessive comorbidity, and diagnostic heterogeneity). However, they are largely based on the structure of individual differences in the manifestation of psychopathology. In contrast, clinical theories of personality disorder, which are the foundation of intervention efforts, are based on the function of maladaptive behavior. This distinction is akin to the difference between morphology and physiology in the broader biological sciences. A structure-function divide in the focus of empirical and clinical work contributes to a lack of integration and difficulties with translation. Here we discuss this tension and argue for the need to bridge this divide and adopt research efforts that integrate structure and function of personality traits. Specifically, we suggest that between-person structure identifies the principal domains of functioning, but to understand dysfunction personality must be conceptualized and studied as an ensemble of contextualized dynamic processes.
Topics: Concept Formation; Humans; Models, Psychological; Personality Disorders; Psychopathology
PubMed: 32375147
DOI: 10.1159/000507590 -
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology :... Jul 2023As personality changes and personality disorders are frequently observed in multiple sclerosis (MS), personality may be a prognostic factor for this disease. The present...
OBJECTIVE
As personality changes and personality disorders are frequently observed in multiple sclerosis (MS), personality may be a prognostic factor for this disease. The present study investigated the influence of personality on disability, progression, and treatment adherence in MS.
METHOD
Personality was assessed in 41 patients with Relapsing-Remitting MS (30 females; mean age = 42.63 years) using the NEO Personality Inventory-3rd edition. Disability was measured with the Expanded Disability Status Scale, and treatment adherence information was collected from the Swiss MS Cohort. Correlation, multiple linear and partial least square regressions were performed to examine relations between personality, disability, and treatment adherence in MS.
RESULTS
After accounting for age and time since disease onset, our analysis revealed that Neuroticism (β = 0.32, p = 0.01) and its Vulnerability facet (β = 0.28, p < 0.05) predicted greater disability, whereas Extraversion (β = -0.25, p = 0.04) and its Activity facet (β = -0.23, p < 0.05) predicted milder disability. Regarding disability progression, correlational analysis revealed that it was negatively correlated with Extraversion (r = -0.44, p = 0.02) and the Feelings facet of Openness (r = -0.41, p = 0.03), but regressions failed to highlight any predictive links. No significant results could be demonstrated for treatment adherence.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, our study showed that some personality traits can impact disability in MS, indicating that these should be considered in clinical practice, as they could be used to adapt and improve patients' clinical support.
Topics: Female; Humans; Adult; Multiple Sclerosis; Neuropsychological Tests; Personality; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting; Personality Disorders
PubMed: 36764662
DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acad010 -
Child Psychiatry and Human Development Apr 2023This work presents a review of research papers examining the role of emerging personality pathology in suicidal ideation and behaviours in adolescence. Initially, 226...
This work presents a review of research papers examining the role of emerging personality pathology in suicidal ideation and behaviours in adolescence. Initially, 226 studies were selected in line with PRISMA guidelines, and 33 articles were finally included in this review. The data show percentages of any personality disorder diagnosis ranging from 19.5 to 22.8% in suicide attempters, while in autopsy studies, the rate of personality disorder diagnosis varied between 29.6 and 42.1%. The overwhelming majority of the studies focus on the role of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in suicidal behaviours, also highlighting its predictive role at a longitudinal level. Furthermore, the literature review shows that personality traits supposed to underlie BPD, such as affective instability, impulsivity and identity diffusion, have specific predictive links with suicidal conduct. Other personality pathology dimensions, such as aggressiveness, sadism and perfectionism that are associated with other personality disorders, namely, antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders, have also shown a significant mediating role for suicidal risk. Overall, these results seem to parallel the role of personality pathology in predicting suicide in adulthood and point to the relevance of assessing the presence of emerging patterns of personality disorders for the clinical management of suicidal risk in adolescence.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide; Suicide, Attempted; Personality Disorders; Personality; Borderline Personality Disorder
PubMed: 34524583
DOI: 10.1007/s10578-021-01239-x -
Current Psychiatry Reports Nov 2022Individuals with personality disorders are frequently seen in mental health settings. Their symptoms typically reflect a high level of suffering and burden of disease,... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Individuals with personality disorders are frequently seen in mental health settings. Their symptoms typically reflect a high level of suffering and burden of disease, with potentially harmful societal consequences, including costs related to absenteeism at work, high use of health services, ineffective or harmful parenting, substance use, suicidal and non-suicidal self-harming behavior, and aggressiveness with legal consequences. Psychotherapy is currently the first-line treatment for patients with personality disorders, but the study of psychotherapy in the domain of personality disorders faces specific challenges.
RECENT FINDINGS
Challenges include knowing what works for whom, identifying which putative mechanisms of change explain therapeutic effects, and including the social interaction context of patients with a personality disorder. By following a dimensional approach, psychotherapy research on personality disorders may serve as a model for the development and study of innovative psychotherapeutic interventions. We recommend developing the following: (a) an evidence base to make treatment decisions based on individual features; (b) a data-driven approach to predictors, moderators, and mechanisms of change in psychotherapy; (c) methods for studying the interaction between social context and psychotherapy.
Topics: Humans; Personality Disorders; Psychotherapy; Suicidal Ideation; Self-Injurious Behavior; Mental Health
PubMed: 36227450
DOI: 10.1007/s11920-022-01379-4 -
Psychological Medicine May 2023Numerous theories posit different core features to borderline personality disorder (BPD). Recent advances in network analysis provide a method of examining the relative...
BACKGROUND
Numerous theories posit different core features to borderline personality disorder (BPD). Recent advances in network analysis provide a method of examining the relative centrality of BPD symptoms, as well as examine the replicability of findings across samples. Additionally, despite the increase in research supporting the validity of BPD in adolescents, clinicians are reluctant to diagnose BPD in adolescents. Establishing the replicability of the syndrome across adolescents and adults informs clinical practice and research. This study examined the stability of BPD symptom networks and centrality of symptoms across samples varying in age and clinical characteristics.
METHODS
Cross-sectional analyses of BPD symptoms from semi-structured diagnostic interviews from the Collaborative Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders (CLPS), the Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Service (MIDAS) study, and an adolescent clinical sample. Network attributes, including edge (partial association) strength and node (symptom) expected influence, were compared.
RESULTS
The three networks were largely similar and strongly correlated. Affective instability and identity disturbance emerged as relatively central symptoms across the three samples, and relationship difficulties across adult networks. Differences in network attributes were more evident between networks varying both in age and in BPD symptom severity level.
CONCLUSIONS
Findings highlight the relative importance of affective, identity, and relationship symptoms, consistent with several leading theories of BPD. The network structure of BPD symptoms appears generally replicable across multiple large samples including adolescents and adults, providing further support for the validity of the diagnosis across these developmental phases.
Topics: Humans; Adult; Adolescent; Borderline Personality Disorder; Longitudinal Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Emotions
PubMed: 35094733
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291721004931 -
Psychopathology 2020Difficulty with boredom was eliminated from the formal diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) in 1994 based on significantly limited, unpublished... (Review)
Review
Difficulty with boredom was eliminated from the formal diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) in 1994 based on significantly limited, unpublished data. However, it is apparent in clinical practice that boredom remains relevant to BPD. This review synthesizes empirical research, with consideration of theoretical accounts, to critically examine the relevance of boredom to BPD. We first briefly review issues in defining and measuring boredom and offer an expanded conceptualization for BPD, which includes the notion of boredom reactivity, before turning to boredom's differentiation from and overlap with feelings of emptiness, with which it was paired prior to its removal from the DSM. We then discuss perspectives on boredom's significance in BPD, briefly touching on its relevance in other personality disorders. We propose a Boredom Cascade Model that articulates how boredom and boredom reactivity interact with identity disturbance and chronic emptiness to create escalating patterns of behavioral dysregulation and make recommendations for research and treatment.
Topics: Borderline Personality Disorder; Boredom; Female; Humans; Male
PubMed: 33166987
DOI: 10.1159/000511312 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Mar 2022Distress tolerance (DT) has received increased attention in recent years due to its purported role in dysregulated behaviours and their clinical manifestations, such as... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Distress tolerance (DT) has received increased attention in recent years due to its purported role in dysregulated behaviours and their clinical manifestations, such as problematic substance use (PSU), disordered eating behaviours (e.g., binge-eating and purging; DEB), and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptomatology. Despite the proposed transdiagnostic utility of DT across PSU, DEB, and BPD, there has yet to be a systematic and comprehensive examination characterising and comparing its association with this class of impulsive-type psychopathology.
METHODS
A systematic search was conducted across five electronic databases using search terms designed to capture extant literature on the association between DT and PSU, DEB, and BPD symptomatology. A series of meta-analyses were undertaken on correlation coefficients from 81 studies to examine the association between DT and each psychopathology domain, as well as impulsive-type psychopathology overall. Moderator analyses were conducted to examine whether these relationships were moderated by DT measurement type, sample type, age, and gender.
RESULTS
DT shared significant, negative, medium correlations with PSU (r = -.18,), DEB (r = -.20), and BPD symptomatology (r = -.27). The magnitude of these associations was not significantly different across the three psychopathology domains, supporting transdiagnostic conceptualisation. DT measurement type, age, and sample type moderated several of these indicated relationships.
LIMITATIONS
The majority of studies were conducted in adult samples from Western countries, limiting understanding of these relationships across development and different cultures.
CONCLUSIONS
The present findings support the putative transdiagnostic role of DT across PSU, DEB, and BPD, which may ultimately inform novel, cross-cutting interventions.
Topics: Adult; Binge-Eating Disorder; Borderline Personality Disorder; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Humans; Impulsive Behavior; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 34986376
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.12.126 -
International Journal of Environmental... Mar 2022A growing body of evidence has shown that maladaptive traits and emerging patterns of personality can be traced to an early stage of development and may be assessed in...
BACKGROUND
A growing body of evidence has shown that maladaptive traits and emerging patterns of personality can be traced to an early stage of development and may be assessed in childhood. The goal of present study was to provide preliminary data on the validity of the Coolidge Personality and Neuropsychological Inventory for Children (CPNI), an instrument designed to assess personality pathologies and other clinical conditions in childhood.
METHOD
A sample of 146 clinicians completed the CPNI, as well as the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to evaluate the behavioral problems and social competencies, regarding a child (aged 6-11 years) who had been in their care between 2 and 12 months. The clinicians also filled out a clinical questionnaire to provide information on the children, their families, and psychotherapies.
RESULTS
There were significant and clinically consistent associations between the CPNI and CBCL. They confirmed the good concurrent (convergent and discriminant) validity of the CPNI.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings seem to support the validity of the CPNI as diagnostic instrument, taking children's PDs and behavioral problems into account. Despite some limitations, the CPNI represents a helpful measure to evaluate the children's personality configurations according to the DSM model. It may be employed along with other tools based on other diagnostic frameworks within the context of a multi-method and multi-informant assessment to provide an accurate and comprehensive formulation of children's overall functioning.
Topics: Checklist; Child; Humans; Personality; Personality Disorders; Personality Inventory; Reproducibility of Results; Research Design; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 35409734
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074050 -
Comprehensive Psychiatry Feb 2022Psychotic features have been part of the description of the borderline personality disorder (BPD) ever since the concept "borderline" was introduced. However, there is...
BACKGROUND
Psychotic features have been part of the description of the borderline personality disorder (BPD) ever since the concept "borderline" was introduced. However, there is still much to learn about the presence and characteristics of delusions and about the stability of both hallucinations and delusions in patients with BPD.
METHODS
A follow-up study was conducted in 326 BPD outpatients (median time between baseline and follow-up = 3.16 years). Data were collected via telephone (n = 267) and face-to-face interviews (n = 60) including the Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History interview, Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale and the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale.
RESULTS
The point prevalence of delusions was 26%, with a median strong delusion conviction. For the group as a whole, the presence and severity of both hallucinations and delusions was found to be stable at follow-up. Participants with persistent hallucinations experienced more comorbid psychiatric disorders, and they differed from those with intermittent or sporadic hallucinations with their hallucinations being characterized by a higher frequency, causing a higher intensity of distress and more disruption in daytime or social activities.
CONCLUSIONS
Delusions in patients with BPD occur frequently and cause distress. Contrary to tenacious beliefs, hallucinations and delusions in participants with BPD are often present in an intermittent or persistent pattern. Persistent hallucinations can be severe, causing disruption of life. Overall, we advise to refrain from terms such as "pseudo", or assume transience when encountering psychotic phenomena in patients with BPD, but rather to carefully assess these experiences and initiate a tailor-made treatment plan.
Topics: Borderline Personality Disorder; Delusions; Follow-Up Studies; Hallucinations; Humans; Psychotic Disorders
PubMed: 34959004
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152290 -
Comprehensive Psychiatry Jan 2022People with personality disorders (PDs) have an elevated suicide risk. However, correlates of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA) remain largely unknown in...
INTRODUCTION
People with personality disorders (PDs) have an elevated suicide risk. However, correlates of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA) remain largely unknown in this population. A growing body of literature highlights the contribution of the Big Five personality traits in suicide-outcomes. Therefore, the present study investigates the association between the Big Five personality traits and SI and SA in people with PDs while applying the ideation-to-action framework.
METHOD
Data were obtained from 105 treatment-seeking individuals diagnosed with PDs participating in the Trauma tO Personality Spectrum Study (TOPSS). Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the association between the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the three category suicide-outcome: non-suicidal, SI, and SA.
RESULTS
After controlling for age, gender, a comorbid depressive disorder, the severity of borderline manifestations, and other personality traits from the Big Five taxonomy, significantly lower levels of extraversion were observed in participants with SI compared to non-suicidal participants (OR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.10-0.72) but not in SA participants. In contrast, higher levels of extraversion were associated with SA when compared to SI (OR = 3.52, 95% CI 1.33-9.32). Other Big Five traits were not independently associated with suicide-outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS
Of the Big Five traits, the introversion-extraversion dimension most clearly distinguishes individuals with SI from non-suicidal individuals, as well as those with a SA in the past from those with SI only. Prospective studies are required to investigate if this personality trait can predict the progression from being non-suicidal to having SI and from having SI to performing an attempt.
Topics: Humans; Personality; Personality Disorders; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide, Attempted
PubMed: 34763292
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152284