Exploring the Relationship Between Prolonged Grief and Borderline Personality Symptoms

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is a new diagnosis that is often mistaken for other psychopathologies. We report a case of PGD in a patient who screened positive for personality disorder. Both PGD and personality disorder symptoms were much improved after a course of prolonged grief disorder therapy.

A bereaved woman in her mid-20s sought treatment for depression 9 months after the death of her father. Her depressive symptoms responded well to antidepressant medication and a brief course of interpersonal psychotherapy. However, prolonged grief symptoms persisted at a clinically significant level. Elements of her history, as well as her score of 9 out of 10 on the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder, indicated a possible diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Yet, after completing a course of prolonged grief disorder therapy, both her grief and borderline symptoms were much reduced.

This case raises the possibility of an association between prolonged grief and borderline symptoms. Disruption of attachment relationships provides a possible way of understanding this association. The case we present raises the possibility that prolonged grief disorder may better explain symptoms in some patients presenting with borderline personality disorder symptoms.