Preview

Borderline personality disorder in the research prism and practical approach: Facts and clinical case study

https://doi.org/10.21518/ms2025-541

Abstract

Borderline personality disorder is a diagnosis that exists in our professional field already more than 30 years and according to numerous epidemiological studies has higher incidence than schizophrenia. However in Russian healthcare we still have difficulties with its adequate diagnostic and treatment. It can be explained by the symptoms polymorphism of borderline personality disorder itself and it’s high comorbidity with anxiety depression and substance abuse, on the other hand this diagnosis doesn’t have any analogies in the works of Russian classical psychiatrists. Nowadays bod has the greatest evidence base of psychotherapy efficiency among personality disorders, the efficient psychoharmacotherapy is still a challenge for future study. In the routine practice the majority of borderline personality disorder patients gets psychopharmacotgerapy. In the described case study the difficulties to maintain routine activity made an impact for borderline personality disorder decompensation. The treatment choice has been made according to the Russian guidelines for diagnostic and treatment of personality disorders and individual symptoms profile: free floating anxiety irritability and subdepressive mood, it determined the prescription of anxyolitic with seritoninergic and dofaminergic mechanism of action as treatment choice. Significant improvement has been shown as well as the digital assistance use as self help tool. Case study base analysis as the one published in this article can be served as the source for the borderline personality disorder psychopharmacological treatment guidelines elaboration in the real world studies paradigm that can help to bridge the gap between research and practice.

 

About the Author

A. V. Vasileva
Bekhterev National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology; North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov
Russian Federation

Anna V. Vasileva, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Associate Professor, Head of the International Department, Chief Researcher, Department of Borderline Mental Disorders and Psychotherapy, Bekhterev National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology; Professor of the Department of Psychotherapy, Medical Psychology, and Sexology, North-Western State Medical University named after

I.I. Mechnikov3, Bekhterev St., St Petersburg, 192019, 

41, Kirochnaya St., St Petersburg, 191015



References

1. Snedkov EV. Passion for psychopathy (continuation of discussion on V.D. Mendelevich’s paper). Neurology Bulletin. 2017;(3):92–98. (In Russ.) Available at: https://journals.eco-vector.com/1027-4898/article/view/14096.

2. Schneider K (ed.). Klinische Psychopathologie. Stuttgart: Georg Thieme Verlag KG; 2007. https://doi.org/10.1055/b-002-44928.

3. Pyatnitskiy NYu. Psychopathies and Psychopathic Reactions: Concept of O. Bumke. Psychiatry (Moscow). 2020;18(3):86–94. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30629/2618-6667-2020-18-3-86-94.

4. Ганнушкин ПБ. Клиника психопатий, их статика, динамика, систематика. Н. Новгород: НГМД; 1998. 128 с.

5. Mendelevich VD. Personality disorders (psychopathy): whether to keep psychiatric classifications and whether to use antipsychotics for treatment? (Response to the D.S. Danilov’s article). Psikhiatriya i Psikhofarmakoterapiya. 2017;19(3):57–60. (In Russ.) Available at: https://con-med.ru/magazines/psikhiatriya_i_psikhofarmakoterapiya_im_p_b_ganushkina/psikhiatriya_i_psikhofarmakoterapiya_im_p_b_ganushkina-03-2017/lichnostnye_rasstroystva_psikhopatii_sokhranyat_li_v_psikhiatricheskikh_klassifikatsiyakh_i_lechit_l/.

6. Kernberg OF, Clarkin JF. The Inventory of Personality Organization. New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center; 1995. https://doi.org/10.1037/t01122-000.

7. Васильева АВ, Караваева ТА, Незнанов НГ (ред.). Психотерапия: национальное руководство. Москва: ГЭОТАР-Медиа; 2023. 992 с.

8. Bohus M, Stoffers-Winterling J, Sharp C, Krause-Utz A, Schmahl C, Lieb K. Borderline personality disorder. Lancet. 202;398(10310):1528–1540. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00476-1.

9. Petrova NN, Charnaya DI, Chumakov EM. Borderline Personality Disorder: Diagnosis. Doctor.Ru. 2022;21(8):66–71. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31550/1727-2378-2022-21-8-66-71.

10. McMahon K, Hoertel N, Peyre H, Blanco C, Fang C, Limosin F. Age differences in DSM-IV borderline personality disorder symptom expression: Results from a national study using item response theory (IRT). J Psychiatr Res. 2019;110:16–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.12.019.

11. Corniquel MB, Koenigsberg HW, Likhtik E. Toward an animal model of borderline personality disorder. Psychopharmacology. 2019;236(8):2485–2500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05289-x.

12. Kuhlman KR. Pitfalls and potential: Translating the two-hit model of early life stress from pre-clinical non-human experiments to human samples. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2023;35:100711. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100711.

13. Bower JE, Kuhlman KR. Psychoneuroimmunology: An Introduction to Immuneto-Brain Communication and Its Implications for Clinical Psychology. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2023;19:331–359. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurevclinpsy-080621-045153.

14. Pariante CM. Psychoneuroimmunology or immunopsychiatry? Lancet Psychiatry. 2015;2(3):197–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00042-5.

15. Fitzpatrick S, Liebman RE, Monson CM. The borderline interpersonal-affective systems (BIAS) model: Extending understanding of the interpersonal context of borderline personality disorder. Clin Psychol Rev. 2021;84:101983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2021.101983.

16. Kazdin AE. Single-case experimental designs. Evaluating interventions in research and clinical practice. Behav Res Ther. 2019;117:3–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2018.11.015.

17. Persons JB, Boswell JF. Single case and idiographic research: Introduction to the special issue. Behav Res Ther. 2019;117:1–2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.03.007.

18. Prusova TI, Vasileva AV, Karavaeva TA. Clinical Case: Depressive Disorder and Undiagnosed Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder. Current Therapy of Mental Disorders. 2025;(1):67–74. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.48612/psyph/2n75-f9fa-ur2h.

19. Bykov YuV, Becker RA. Buspiron in psychiatric practice: is it only an anxiolytic? Psikhiatriya i Psikhofarmakoterapiya. 2017;19(5):32–52. (In Russ.) Available at: https://www.elibrary.ru/zvytvj.

20. Howland RH. Buspirone: Back to the Future. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2015;53(11):21–24. https://doi.org/10.3928/02793695-20151022-01.

21. Bandelow B, Allgulander C, Baldwin DS, Costa DLDC, Denys D, Dilbaz N et al. World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) guidelines for treatment of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and posttraumatic stress disorders – Version 3. Part I: Anxiety disorders. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2023;24(2):79–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/15622975.2022.2086295.

22. Kim JK, Han SK, Joo MK, Kim DH. Buspirone alleviates anxiety, depression, and colitis; and modulates gut microbiota in mice. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):6094. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85681-w.

23. Malikowska-Racia N, Popik P, Sałat K. Behavioral effects of buspirone in a mouse model of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behav Brain Res. 2020;381:112380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112380.

24. Duffy JD, Malloy PF. Efficacy of buspirone in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: an open trial. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 1994;6(1):33–37. https://doi.org/10.3109/10401239409148837.

25. Stoffers JM, Völlm BA, Rücker G, Timmer A, Huband N, Lieb K. Psychological therapies for people with borderline personality disorder. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;(8):CD005652. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005652.pub2.

26. Stone MH. Borderline Personality Disorder: Clinical Guidelines for Treatment. Psychodyn Psychiatry. 2022;50(1):45–63. https://doi.org/10.1521/pdps.2022.50.1.45.

27. Stoffers-Winterling J, Völlm B, Lieb K. Is pharmacotherapy useful for treating personality disorders? Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2021;22(4):393–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/14656566.2021.1873277.

28. Livesley WJ, Jang KL, Jackson DN, Vernon PA. Genetic and environmental contributions to dimensions of personality disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1993;150(12):1826–1831. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.150.12.1826.

29. Siever LJ, Davis KL. A psychobiological perspective on the personality disorders. Am J Psychiatry. 1991;148(12):1647–1658. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.148.12.1647.

30. Keuroghlian AS, Frankenburg FR, Zanarini MC. The relationship of chronic medical illnesses, poor health-related lifestyle choices, and health care utilization to recovery status in borderline patients over a decade of prospective follow-up. J Psychiatr Res. 2013;47(10):1499–1506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2013.06.012.

31. Madan A, Oldham JM, Gonzalez S, Fowler JC. Reducing Adverse Polypharmacy in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder: An Empirical Case Study. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2015;17(4):10.4088/PCC.14m01760. https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.14m01760.

32. Shishkovskaia TI, Leonova AV, Petrova NN. Personality disorders: from historical aspects to contemporary views. V.M. Bekhterev Review of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31363/2313-7053-2025-4-1084.

33. Stoffers J, Völlm BA, Rücker G, Timmer A, Huband N, Lieb K. Pharmacological interventions for borderline personality disorder. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(6):CD005653. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005653.pub2.

34. Pascual JC, Arias L, Soler J. Pharmacological Management of Borderline Personality Disorder and Common Comorbidities. CNS Drugs. 2023;37(6):489–497. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-023-01015-6.

35. Keepers GA, Fochtmann LJ, Anzia JM, Benjamin S, Lyness JM, Mojtabai R et al. The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2024;181(11):1024–1028. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.24181010.

36. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Personality Disorders: Borderline and Antisocial. 2015. 31 p. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs88.

37. National Health and Medical Research Council. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Borderline. Personality Disorder. Melbourne: National Health and Medical Research Council; 2012. 182 p. Available at: https://bpdfoundation.org.au/images/mh25_borderline_personality_guideline.pdf.

38. Караваева ТА, Васильева АВ, Идрисов КА, Ковлен ДВ, Незнанов НГ, Пономаренко ГН и др. Посттравматическое стрессовое расстройство: клинические рекомендации. М.; 2023. 200 с. Режим доступа: https://cr.minzdrav.gov.ru/preview-cr/753_1.

39. Hu H, Phan N, Geller J, Iezzi S, Vo H, Dou D, Chun SA. An Ensemble Deep Learning Model for Drug Abuse Detection in Sparse Twitter-Sphere. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2019;264:163–167. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI190204.

40. De Anta L, Alvarez-Mon MÁ, Pereira-Sanchez V, Donat-Vargas CC, Lara-Abelenda FJ, Arrieta M et al. Assessment of beliefs and attitudes towards benzodiazepines using machine learning based on social media posts: an observational study. BMC Psychiatry. 2024;24(1):659. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-06111-5.

41. Mullin A, Scott M, Vaccaro G, Floresta G, Arillotta D, Catalani V et al. Benzodiazepine Boom: Tracking Etizolam, Pyrazolam, and Flubromazepam from Pre-UK Psychoactive Act 2016 to Present Using Analytical and Social Listening Techniques. Pharmacy. 2024;12(1):13. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy12010013.

42. Stoffers-Winterling J, Storebø OJ, Lieb K. Pharmacotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: an Update of Published, Unpublished and Ongoing Studies. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2020;22(8):37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-020-01164-1.


Review

For citations:


Vasileva AV. Borderline personality disorder in the research prism and practical approach: Facts and clinical case study. Meditsinskiy sovet = Medical Council. 2025;(22):114-122. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.21518/ms2025-541

Views: 10


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.


ISSN 2079-701X (Print)
ISSN 2658-5790 (Online)