Splitting in schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Splitting, a fragmentation of conscious experience, is observed in psychiatric disorders.
• Understanding splitting's role in schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder (BPD) is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between psychological splitting and cognitive/affective disturbances in schizophrenia and BPD.
• To differentiate the manifestation of splitting across these two distinct psychiatric conditions.

Main Methods:

• Assessed 30 schizophrenia patients and 35 BPD patients.
• Measured splitting using the self-reported Splitting Index (SI).
• Assessed semantic memory disorganization via verbal fluency tests and psychopathology with the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HoNOS).

Main Results:

• Splitting Index (SI) scores were significantly higher in BPD compared to schizophrenia.
• Verbal fluency was significantly lower in schizophrenia patients.
• Psychopathological symptoms (HoNOS) were more severe in the BPD group.
• A significant negative correlation was found between verbal fluency and the SI 'factor of others' in schizophrenia patients.

Conclusions:

• Splitting manifests differently in BPD and schizophrenia.
• In BPD, splitting contributes to mental instability.
• In schizophrenia, splitting leads to fragmented associations, evidenced by reduced verbal fluency, aligning with historical concepts.