Pharmacotherapy for personality disorders.
Although there are many methodological uncertainties in the treatment of personality disorders, which make it difficult to be confident about efficacy, there is growing evidence that at least in some personality disorders, drug treatment may be of value. Borderline personality disorder is a condition in which treatment evidence is the most promising, but it is also one of the most difficult disorders to disentangle the mental state from personality components. In summary, there is reasonable evidence that antidepressants, particularly serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, have beneficial effects independent of their antidepressive ones and albeit, less favourable, evidence that antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilisers may also be of value. None of this evidence is yet sufficient to point to any specific drug treatment indications.
Newton-Howes
Giles
G
Department of Psychological Medicine, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Campus, St. Dunstan's Road, London, W6 8RP, UK.
Tyrer
Peter
P
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors