Suicidal risk and management in borderline personality disorder

Marianne Goodman, Tracey Roiff, Allison H. Oakes, Joel Paris

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

72 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper reviews recent advances in our understanding of suicidality in borderline personality disorder (BPD), with a focus on suicide risk assessment, guidelines for treatment, and medicolegal concerns. Relevant material on distinctions between suicide completers and suicide attempters, contributions of published American Psychiatric Association Guidelines, the controversial role of hospitalization, and management strategies regarding litigation is addressed. Despite accumulating data on suicidality in BPD, the current state of knowledge offers only partial clues to help identify the BPD patients most at risk of death by suicide, and offers a limited armamentarium of treatment targeted to suicide prevention, creating discomfort in clinicians and fears regarding litigation in the event of a successful suicide. Promising new interventions include less resource-intensive psychotherapies as well as brief crisis intervention.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)79-85
Number of pages7
JournalCurrent Psychiatry Reports
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • BPD
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Management
  • Medicolegal
  • Risk assessment
  • Suicide

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Suicidal risk and management in borderline personality disorder'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this