Diminished impulsivity in older patients with borderline personality disorder

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to test, in terms of impulsivity, the hypothesis that borderline personality disorder "burns out" with age.

Method: Linear regression analyses, with age as a predictor variable, were conducted on subsection scores of the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB-R) for 123 individuals with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder who were accepted into an outpatient-based psychotherapy program. The subsection scores of the DIB-R allow quantification of the core features of the disorder: affective disturbance, relationship disturbance, cognitive disturbance, and impulsive behavior.

Results: Older patients with borderline personality disorder showed less impulsivity than younger patients, but there was no difference in terms of affect disturbance, identity disturbance, and interpersonal problems.

Conclusions: The view that borderline personality disorder burns out with age is supported in terms of impulsivity.