Self-reported screening tools may be helpful in identifying adolescents with BPD

Self-reported borderline personality disorder screening tools may be useful in identifying symptoms of BPD in adolescents and may determine who can benefit from early intervention, according to data published in Psychiatry Research.

“There is growing evidence to support early identification and psychosocial intervention for BPD in adolescence,” Michèle Preyde, MSW, PhD, professor of family relations and human development at University of Guelph in Canada, and colleagues wrote. “It has been suggested that screening for BPD in adolescents should be encouraged, and ongoing clinical management should be provided to improve life circumstances in vocations, relationships and overall well-being of this pediatric psychiatric patient group.”

“The purposes of this study were to explore the proportion and characteristics of pediatric patients hospitalized for psychiatric illness who screen positive for BPD with a self-report tool and to characterize their attachment patterns, as well as the frequency and severity of psychological distress and problematic internet use among youth admitted to a regional child and adolescent inpatient (CAIP) unit in a large, community hospital,” they added.

Preyde and colleagues administered a survey with self-reported measures to 109 patients (mean age, 15 years; 71% female) who were consecutively admitted to a single site CAIP unit between October 2018 and March 2019. The McLean Screening Instrument was used to screen for BPD in the patient population, with those scoring seven or higher grouped as positive for BPD and those scoring six or lower grouped as negative.

Of the patients included within the study, 66% screened positive for BPD compared with only 7% of patients who were diagnosed by psychiatrists with BPD or features of BPD.

Researchers found statistically significantly worse scores on anxious attachment, distress, ADHD, problematic use of electronic devices, school suspensions, lifetime of trauma self-harming behaviors and suicide symptoms in those who scored positive for BPD compared with those who scored negative. However, there were no statistically significant differences in age, gender or avoidant anxiety.

“These findings suggest that early targeted assessment may identify patients who may benefit from intervention specifically for BPD and ongoing clinical management at a time of development that may improve personal and interpersonal functioning and may improve long-term outcomes,” the researchers added.

However, they also noted that further clinical trials and longitudinal research are needed to determine whether early identification and early specialized intervention can actually improve long-term outcomes.