Diminished impulsivity in older patients with borderline personality disorder.

Abstract

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