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Impulsivity: core aspect of borderline personality disorder
P S Links1, R Heslegrave, R van Reekum
1St. Michael's Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada.
Journal of Personality Disorders
|May 6, 1999
Summary
Impulsivity in borderline personality disorder (BPD) is stable over 7 years and predicts future psychopathology. Targeting impulsivity may improve BPD outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Clinical Neuroscience
Background:
- Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health condition.
- Understanding the long-term stability and predictive factors of BPD is crucial for effective treatment.
- Impulsivity is a key feature of BPD, but its long-term course and predictive power require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the stability of impulsivity in BPD over a 7-year period.
- To determine if impulsivity predicts the persistence or remission of BPD.
- To assess if impulsivity is a stronger predictor of BPD psychopathology than other BPD aspects.
Main Methods:
- Prospective follow-up study design.
- Inclusion of 130 subjects with a definite diagnosis of BPD at baseline, assessed via the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB).
- Reassessment of the cohort at 2 and 7 years, with 81 subjects re-examined at 7-year follow-up.
Main Results:
- The impulse action subscale score showed high correlation with the 7-year follow-up score (r = 0.53).
- Impulse action subscale scores from the DIB were the best predictors of borderline psychopathology at 7-year follow-up (r2 = 0.24, p < 0.001).
- Impulsivity demonstrated stability over the 7-year follow-up period.
Conclusions:
- Impulsivity is a stable trait in individuals with BPD.
- Impulsivity significantly predicts the level of borderline psychopathology over a 7-year follow-up.
- Treating impulsivity may be a key strategy for influencing the long-term course of BPD.