Comorbidity of borderline personality disorder with other personality disorders in psychiatric outpatients: how does it look at 2-year follow-up?
BACKGROUND
The rates of remission of comorbid personality disorders for patients with a primary borderline personality disorder (BPD) have previously only been addressed in samples of inpatients or former inpatients with BPD receiving treatment-as-usual.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the current study was to assess the rates of remission of comorbid axis II personality disorders in a sample of 32 outpatients with a primary BPD receiving open-ended non-manualized psychotherapy.


METHODS
Structured psychiatric interviews for DSM-IV were conducted by independent assessors at intake, discharge and 2-year follow-up. Independent t-test, chi-square and McNemar analyses based on intent-to-treat were used.


RESULTS
The overall rate of comorbid axis II disorders was significantly reduced from intake to 2-year follow-up. Patients with non-remitted BPD had significantly more PD diagnoses and symptomatic distress on all outcome measures at follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Comorbid personality disorders among outpatients with BPD can be expected to remit with time and with remission of BPD. In the current sample of outpatients, comorbid paranoid, avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders at 2-year follow-up were associated with non-remitted BPD. The clinical implication of the results is that especially comorbid avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders may require specific attention in treatment of patients with BPD.
Department of Psychiatry, Sørlandet Hospital HF, Arendal, Norway. Tor.Erik.Nysater@SSHF.no
Tor E
TE
Nysæter
Hans M
HM
Nordahl
D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D003193:Compulsive Personality Disorder; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011613:Psychotherapy; D055815:Young Adult