Pain assessment in self-injurious patients with borderline personality disorder using signal detection theory.
Signal detection theory measures of thermal responsivity were examined to determine whether differences in reported pain experienced during self-injurious behavior in female patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are explained by neurosensory factors and/or attitudinal factors (response bias). Female patients with BPD who do not experience pain during self-injury (BPD-NP group) were found to discriminate more poorly between noxious thermal stimuli of similar intensity, low P(A), than female patients with BPD who experience pain during self-injury (BPD-P group), female patients with BPD who do not have a history of self-injury (BPD-C group), and age-matched normal women. The BPD-NP group also had a higher response criterion, B (more stoical) than the BPD-C group. These findings suggest that 'analgesia' during self-injury in patients with BPD is related to both neurosensory and attitudinal/psychological abnormalities.
Kemperman
I
I
New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center, White Plains 10605, USA.
Russ
M J
MJ
Clark
W C
WC
Kakuma
T
T
Zanine
E
E
Harrison
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012652:Self Mutilation / Q000523:psychology; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology; D013697:Thermosensing