Borderline Personality Disorder With Versus Without Alcohol Use Disorder: Comparing Impulsivity and Schema Modes

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Substance use disorders (SUDs) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently co-occur.
• Understanding the distinctions between BPD and BPD with comorbid SUD is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in impulsivity and schema modes between BPD patients and BPD patients with comorbid alcohol use disorder (AUD).
• To compare these patient groups with a nonpatient (NP) group.

Main Methods:

• Behavioral impulsivity was assessed, including motor impulsivity, risk-taking, and delay discounting.
• Schema modes, representing emotional states and coping responses, were evaluated.
• Participants included BPD patients, BPD+AUD patients, and a control NP group.

Main Results:

• Both BPD and BPD+AUD groups showed significantly greater delay discounting than the NP group.
• All investigated schema modes differed between the patient groups and the NP group.
• No significant differences in impulsivity or schema modes were observed between the BPD and BPD+AUD groups.

Conclusions:

• BPD patients generally exhibit higher impulsivity and more maladaptive schema modes.
• Comorbid AUD does not appear to differentiate these impulsivity and schema mode characteristics in BPD patients.