Cognitive disturbances basic symptoms in help-seeking patients with borderline personality disorder: Characteristics and association with schizotypy.

AIM: Although the presence of psychotic symptoms has been widely recognized in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), no study previously investigated cognitive Basic Symptoms (BS) and their clinical implications in patients with BPD. METHODS: This cross-sectional study specifically examined the prevalence of COGDIS (cognitive disturbances) BS criteria in 93 help-seeking outpatients with BPD by using the Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument-Adult Version (SPI-A). We then explored associations of COGDIS with personality traits, functioning and core psychopathological features of BPD. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of COGDIS criterion were 62.4%. BPD patients meeting COGDIS criteria reported higher levels of schizotypal personality traits, dissociative experiences and work/social functional impairment compared to individuals without COGDIS criteria. Furthermore, the number of cognitive BSs showed a positive correlation with severity levels of schizotypy. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive BS are common in BPD. Cognitive disturbances are associated with schizotypal personality traits and specific clinical features. The presence of cognitive BSs may identify a more severe subgroup of patients with BPD, potentially vulnerable to psychotic symptoms and reliably identifiable through assessment of schizotypal traits.

Borderline personality disorder and aggressive behavior: A study based on the DSM-5 alternative model.

INTRODUCTION: Unplanned reactive aggressive acts are a clinical feature of particular interest in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The early identification of personality traits correlated to aggressive behavior is certainly desirable in BDP populations. This study analyzes a clinical sample of 122 adult outpatients with BPD referred to Adult Mental Health Services of the Department of Mental Health of Bologna, in Italy. METHODS: The study examines the relationship with personality facets of the DSM-5 alternative model for personality disorders (AMPD), Personality Inventory for DSM (PID-5), with respect to the four main components of aggression measured by the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ): hostility, anger, verbal and physical aggression. Using robust regression models, the relationships between PID-5 facets and domains and the aggression components under consideration were identified. RESULTS: Verbal and physical aggression in our sample of BPD outpatients is mainly associated to PID-5 antagonism domain. Physically aggressive behavior is also related to callousness facet. CONCLUSIONS: The traits most consistently associated with aggression were the domain of Antagonism and the facet of Hostility. The study findings highlight the need for clinicians working with individuals with BPD to pay particular attention to traits of hostility, callousness, and hostility to understand aggression.

Selection of patients with Tourette syndrome for deep brain stimulation surgery.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an emerging therapeutic option for severe resistant Tourette syndrome (TS). To date, about 100~cases have been reported in the scientific literature. Different clinical guidelines have been proposed for this procedure from both USA and European centres. A number of issues remain unresolved, mainly in relation to eligibility criteria of patients with TS. We highlight the need for a comprehensive assessment of associated co-morbidities, which are not considered integral part of the syndrome and are not sufficiently evaluated in relation to DBS. The concept of refractoriness, the minimum age of candidates, and the optimal targets for DBS are also controversial.