title: Personality organization in borderline patients with a history of suicide attempts.
abstract: Suicide attempts (SA) are common in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Recent studies focus on aspects of personality associated with risk for SA such as deficits in affect regulation including impulse control and aggression. The current study examines associations of dysfunctional personality organization, psychiatric comorbidities as well as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) with SA in a sample of 68 BPD outpatients. Patients with a history of SA yielded higher scores in personality domains of aggression, especially self-directed aggression. Further, a history of SA was associated with a worse general level of personality organization and a higher prevalence rate of NSSI and substance abuse disorder. The results demonstrate that SA in BPD patients might be regarded as a manifestation of impaired personality functioning rather than mere state variables and symptoms. Moreover, these findings might have implications for indication, treatment, and prognosis of Borderline Personality Disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: nicole.baus@web.de.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baus
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Melitta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fischer-Kern
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naderer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doering
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pastner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leithner-Dziubas
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Plener
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Nestor D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Kapusta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D010551:Personality; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Personality disorders; Personality functioning; STIPO