Long-term follow-up study of borderline patients in Japan: a preliminary study

To date, only few reports are available regarding the long-term outcome of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in Japan. We conducted a retrospective follow-up study on the long-term outcome and predictive factors of BPD in Japan. Of 72 patients who received treatment at Fukuoka University Hospital between 1973 and 1989 and met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria for BPD retrospectively, 19 patients (26.4%) were followed up. We evaluated global outcome at follow-up using the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale scored from a completed self-reported questionnaire. The mean Global Assessment of Functioning score was 60.7, which meant fair to good functioning. The suicide rate was 6.9% (5/72). Using a logistic regression model, overinvolvement in family relationships and the number of medical facilities where patient was previously treated predicted poor outcome. These results are similar to those reported in the United States and Canada, except for the result that Japanese patients with BPD are more likely to live with their original family at follow-up than American patients.