Evaluation of changes in prescription medication use after a residential treatment programme for borderline personality disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Residential patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder were evaluated to determine whether borderline personality disorder-focused psychotherapy reduced prescribing, personality disorder and co-morbid symptom severity.


METHODS
Psychotropic prescriptions were measured at admission, discharge and 1 year later in 74 female participants with one or more personality disorder diagnosis and co-morbid mood disorders. Changes in pharmacotherapy were examined in the context of improvements in borderline personality disorder and/or co-morbid disorder symptom severity. Residential treatment included individual and group psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was used to confirm the borderline personality disorder diagnosis and associated co-morbid conditions. The Beck Depression Inventory was completed at each time point.


RESULTS
A significant reduction in the incidence and severity of self-rated depression as well as clinician assessed personality disorder, including borderline personality disorder, was accompanied by a reduction in prescription of psychoactive medications.


CONCLUSIONS
Three to six months of intensive borderline personality disorder-specific psychotherapy showed lasting benefit with regard to symptom severity of personality disorders (borderline personality disorder in particular) as well as depressive symptoms. This improvement corresponded with a reduction in prescriptions for psychoactive medications, which is consistent with current thinking regarding treatment for borderline personality disorder.
Senior Research Fellow, Spectrum, Eastern Health, Ringwood East, VIC, Australia Jillian.Broadbear@easternhealth.org.au.
Jillian H
JH
Broadbear
Senior Psychologist, Spectrum, Eastern Health, Ringwood East, VIC, Australia.
Julian
J
Nesci
Clinical psychologist, Private Practice, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Rosemary
R
Thomas
Senior Research Fellow, Orygen Youth Health Clinical Program, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Katherine
K
Thompson
Senior Psychiatry Consultant, Spectrum, Eastern Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Josephine
J
Beatson
Executive Clinical Director, Spectrum, Eastern Health, Ringwood East, VIC, Australia.
Sathya
S
Rao
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012114:Residential Treatment / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs
borderline personality disorder; depression; polypharmacy; prescription medication; psychotherapy