title: Personality Disorders and Mindreading: Specific Impairments in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder Compared to Other PDs.
abstract: The capacity of understanding mental states is a complex function which involves several components. Single components can be selectively impaired in specific clinical populations. It has been suggested that impairments in mindreading are central for borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, empirical findings are inconsistent, and it is debatable whether BPD presents a specific profile of mindreading impairments. The aim of this study is to compare BPD and other PDs in mindreading. Seventy-two patients with BPD and 125 patients with other PD diagnoses were assessed using the Metacognition Assessment Interview. BPD showed difficulties in two mindreading functions, differentiation and integration, even when the severity of psychopathology was controlled. These results suggest a specific mindreading impairment in BPD and a strong relationship between these impairments and the severity of psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: *Terzo Centro di Psicoterapia Cognitiva & SPC School of Cognitive Psychotherapy, Rome; †Department of Psychology, Center of Cognitive Science, University of Turin, Turin; and ‡Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Semerari
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colle
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pellecchia
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carcione
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moroni
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nicolò
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Procacci
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pedone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D056345:Theory of Mind; D055815:Young Adult