Altered memory and affective instability in prisoners assessed for dangerous and severe personality disorder.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies of borderline personality disorder report neuropsychological impairments in several domains, including memory. No studies have compared memory functioning in high-risk prisoners with borderline personality disorder with similar prisoners with other personality disorders.


OBJECTIVE
To explore mnemonic impairments in prisoners undergoing personality assessment as part of the dangerous and severe personality disorder initiative or detained in a medium secure facility.


METHODS
We investigated memory function in 18 prisoners with borderline personality disorder and 18 prisoners with other personality disorders.


RESULTS
Prisoners with borderline personality disorder exhibited a pattern of multi-modal impairments in the immediate and delayed recall of verbal and visual information, with some association with affective instability. These deficits were not associated with the severity of personality disturbance.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that memory deficits have some specificity in relation to the constituent traits of borderline personality disorder and indicate that neuropsychological assessment may be a source of useful adjunctive information for distinguishing between the cognitive and psychological difficulties of individual prisoners.
Kirkpatrick
Tim
T
Oxford University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK.
Joyce
Eileen
E
Milton
John
J
Duggan
Conor
C
Tyrer
Peter
P
Rogers
Robert D
RD
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*