Content area
Full Text
Little is known about the nature and prevalence of interpersonal violence among individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Employing a longitudinal, multi-site sample, this study examined the degree to which BPD constitutes a risk marker for future violent behavior, and describes the characteristics of violent individuals with BPD and the nature of their violence. Findings showed that 73% of BPD subjects engaged in violence during the one-year study period, and frequently exhibited co-morbid antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathic characteristics. Reported violence was mostly characterized by disputes with acquaintances or significant others. Results also suggest that the shared variance among ASPD, psychopathy, and BPD served to diminish the independent predictive effect of BPD on violence. These findings point to violence as a serious and prevalent problem among individuals with BPD, for whom targeted violence reduction strategies that take into account ASPD and psychopathic co-morbidity must be developed.
The treatment and management of individuals with severe personality disorders, particularly the borderline personality sub-type (BPD), continues to be a significant challenge for the mental health system, with such disorders creating "a substantial burden of illness for society" (Hyman, 2002, p. 933). Despite the fact that interpersonal problems and dysregulated behavior are considered hallmark characteristics of BPD, existing clinical and research literature has primarily focused on the well-established link between symptoms of BPD and self-harm (Gunderson, 2001; Linehan, 1993). Little is known about the prevalence and characteristics of interpersonal violence among individuals with BPD, perhaps due to biases in the conceptualization of BPD as a female disorder (Adler, Drake, & Teague, 1990) and the general clinical underestimation of violent behavior among female psychiatric patients (Newhill, Mulvey, & Lidz, 1995).
Some evidence has emerged, however, indicating that individuals with BPD may be at elevated risk for involvement in interpersonal violence (especially in the context of perceived rejection and affective instability) as part of the impulse disorder spectrum (Zanarini & Gunderson, 1997). For example, Holtzworth-Munroe (2000) found that men who were violent toward their wives commonly evidenced borderline personality features. In a comparison study of murderers with other violent and nonviolent adult offenders, Raine (1993), found that extreme violence was associated with a number of borderline traits.
Research on the relations of mental illness and violence more broadly has...