Posttraumatic stress disorder among children clinically diagnosed as borderline personality disorder

Article Abstract:

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder characterized by instability in a variety of areas, including interpersonal relationships, behavior, mood, and self-image. Childhood maltreatment (physical or sexual abuse) has been associated with BPD, but the relationships among posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), BPD, and maltreatment in childhood are not clear. The present study explored the relationship between PTSD and BPD in childhood by evaluating children diagnosed with BPD for the presence of PTSD. Nineteen children, ages 7 to 14, were studied. All were diagnosed with BPD and three had also been diagnosed with PTSD. A structured clinical interview was performed using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents. When asked about trauma, 15 of the 19 children answered positively - a necessary but not sufficient condition for the diagnosis of PTSD. They reported witnessing or experiencing such events as sexual assault or maltreatment, physical assaults, or natural disasters. Upon further evaluation, seven children met the criteria for PTSD (including the three previously diagnosed with that condition). It is noteworthy that 80 percent of the children with BPD in this sample reported histories of childhood trauma, and that almost 37 percent met the criteria for PTSD. The question of whether BPD and PTSD coexist as separate conditions is raised. It is more likely that PTSD symptoms are confused with symptoms of childhood BPD; the issue is discussed. These results are consistent with a view of BPD as a complicated posttraumatic syndrome manifested by maladaptive personality characteristics. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Causes of, Complications and side effects, Children, Post-traumatic stress disorder in children, Childhood post-traumatic stress disorder, Borderline personality disorder in children

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Psychological distress among homeless adults

Article Abstract:

Many of the homeless are mentally ill, in fact, a study of 529 homeless adults found that 80 percent perceive themselves as under psychological distress, compared with 50 percent of adults in the general population. Their levels of distress were not associated with most demographic characteristics, with the nature of their homelessness or with their general appearance. However, distress was related to unemployment, higher cigarette and alcohol use, worse physical health, fewer social supports and the perception of barriers preventing access to needed medical care. Since mental, physical and social health are strongly interrelated in homeless adults, the best way to alleviate their distress may be to provide, in an easily accessible place, a broad-based health services package combined with employment programs.

Prisons

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Posttraumatic stress and conversion disorders in a Laotian refugee veteran: use of amobarbital interviews

Article Abstract:

The US has taken in over 80,000 Indochinese refugees in the last decade. Although initial reports focused on their difficulties adjusting to life in America, more recent studies have suggested that pre-immigration experiences have an important effect on their present mental health. The gradual appearance of psychiatric manifestations of such experiences parallels the increase in discussion and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in American veterans of the Southeast Asian wars. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a malaise frequently afflicting combat veterans. Two refugee case studies are presented.

Usage, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Amobarbital, Refugees, Laotian, Laotian refugees

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