Birth order and memories of traumatic and family experiences in Greek patients with borderline personality disorder versus patients with other personality disorders.

The purpose of this study was to assess the possible effect of recalled traumatic experiences, perceived parental rearing styles, and family parameters on the occurrence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) versus other personality disorders (other-PDs). A total of 88 adult outpatients with personality disorders completed the Traumatic Antecedents Questionnaire and the Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran, which measures perceptions regarding parental rearing. Results indicated that incidence of traumatic childhood experiences was higher among those in the BPD group compared to those in the other-PD group. Firstborns were less likely to carry a diagnosis of BPD over other-PDs. Also, significantly more BPD compared to other-PD patients reported being the father's favorite child over siblings. Results suggest that traumatic experiences, birth order, and family interactions in the presence of siblings seem to differentially affect the formation of borderline diagnosis compared to other-PDs. Limitations and clinical implications of the study are discussed in detail.

Is the residential combined (psychotherapy plus medication) treatment of patients with severe personality disorder effective in terms of suicidality and impulsivity?

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of combined treatment-medication plus psychodynamic psychotherapy-and psychodynamic psychotherapy alone on the outcome variables of suicidality and impulsivity in a population of adult inpatients with severe personality disorder (SPD). This is a naturalistic-empirical (observational) study under the conditions of clinical practice (an intensive specialized inpatient psychotherapeutic program [SIPP]). The sample consisted of 33 inpatients with SPD who were allocated to two subgroups (groups A and B). The patients in group A received psychodynamic psychotherapy and adjunctive pharmacotherapy, whereas the patients in group B received multimodal psychodynamic psychotherapy only. A statistically significant reduction in suicidality score was observed in the patients in group A, whereas a tendency for significant reduction in impulsivity score was observed in group B after the SIPP termination. Pharmacotherapy combined with multimodal psychodynamic psychotherapy, always within the SIPP, seems more effective in the case of suicidality rather than impulsivity.