Executive functions and social cognition in highly lethal self-injuring patients with borderline personality disorder.

Abstract

Risk for potentially lethal self-injurious behavior in borderline personality disorder (BPD) may be associated with deficits in neuropsychological functions and social cognition. In particular, individuals with BPD engaging in more medically damaging self-injurious behaviors may have more severe executive function deficits and altered emotion perception as compared to patients engaging in less lethal acts. In the current study, 58 patients with BPD reporting a lifetime history of self-injurious behavior were administered neuropsychological measures of response inhibition, planning and problem-solving,and tests of facial emotion recognition and discrimination. Patients who engaged in more medically lethal self-injurious behaviors reported engaging in impulsive behaviors more frequently and displayed neuropsychological deficits in problem-solving and response inhibition. They were also less accurate in recognizing happy facial expressions and in discerning subtle differences in emotional intensity in sad facial expressions. These findings suggest that patients with BPD that engage in more physically damaging self-injurious behaviors may have greater difficulties with behavioral control and employ less efficient problem-solving strategies. Problems in facial emotion recognition and discrimination may contribute to interpersonal difficulties in patients with BPD who self-injure.

The role of premorbid personality and social cognition in suicidal behaviour in first-episode psychosis: A one-year follow-up study

“…Theory of mind impairments were associated with suicidal behaviour in borderline personality disorder patients (Williams et al, 2015), late-life depression (Szanto et al, 2012) and patients with psychosis (Duñó et al, 2009;Ofoghi et al, 2012). Our results were in full agreement with this since errors in first-order false belief tasks were related to SAs over the 12-month follow-up.…”

The relationship between childhood traumas, dissociation, and impulsivity in patients with borderline personality disorder comorbid with ADHD

“…Many studies support this finding in BPD patients. Williams et al [61] suggested that BPD patients had higher scores on motor impulsiveness and Speranza et al [62] reported a significant relationship between attentional/cognitive impulsivity and BPD. However, as gender plays a role as predictor in this relationship and ADHD is more common in males [6], ADHD comorbidity in BPD especially in female patients should always be considered for the treatment strategies.…”

The relationship between impulsivity and attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms in female patients with borderline personality disorder

“…This finding might support the notion that the three major factors of impulsivity; namely attention impulsivity, motor impulsivity, and non-planning impulsivity might also be common in BPD patients. In the literature, Williams et al [41] suggested that BPD patients with serious self-injurious behaviours had higher scores, especially on motor impulsiveness. We also found out that in BPD patients motor factor of the motor impulsiveness domain of impulsivity highly predicted attention deficit-hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms.…”