title: Pain in patients with borderline personality disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently present to primary care physicians and specialists with pain problems. The aims of the current study are to (1) examine the prevalence of pain symptoms in patients with a diagnosis of BPD compared with a diagnosis of another personality disorder and (2) identify the factors that predict pain experienced in patients with BPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and ninety inpatients meeting Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines and DSM-III-R criteria for BPD and 72 patients who met DSM-III-R criteria for another personality disorder were assessed at baseline using semistructured interviews and self-report measures. Ratings of pain were assessed 16 years after baseline diagnosis and compared between diagnostic groups using t-tests. Regression analyses were used to identify predictors of pain among patients with BPD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with BPD are more likely to experience pain and rate their pain as more severe than patients with other personality disorders. In multivariable regression models, there were three significant predictors of severity of pain among patients with BPD: older age, the presence of major depressive disorder, and the severity of childhood abuse other than sexual abuse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with BPD report significant pain, which interferes with their lives. A focus on the management of medical and psychiatric comorbidities may improve their long-term functioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Laboratory for the Study of Adult Development, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Biskin
authors.forename: Frances R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Frankenburg
authors.forename: Garrett M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fitzmaurice
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Zanarini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult