title: Borderline personality disorder in the primary care setting.
abstract: Borderline personality disorder is estimated to be present in approximately 6% of outpatient primary care settings. However, the time and energy spent on this population can greatly exceed what primary care doctors are able to spend. This article gives an overview of borderline personality disorder, including the clinical characteristics, epidemiology, and comorbidities, as well as pharmacologic and most important behavioral management. It is our hope that, with improved understanding of the disorder and skills for managing this population, caring for patients with the disorder can be more satisfying and less taxing for both primary care doctors and their patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington School of Medicine, 325 9th Avenue, Box 359896, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. Electronic address: ameliand@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Amelia N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Dubovsky
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington General Internal Medicine Center, University of Washington School of Medicine, Box 354760, Seattle, WA 98195-4750, USA.
authors.forename: Meghan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kiefer
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D012074:Remission Induction; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012931:Social Environment; D059020:Suicidal Ideation
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D009479:Neuropeptides; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
keywords: Behavioral problems; Borderline personality disorder; Management of borderline personality disorder; Personality disorder; Primary care; Psychopharmacology