Rumination, posttraumatic stress disorder, and mood symptoms in borderline personality disorder

• Published in: Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment Vol. 15; pp. 1231 - 1238
• Main Authors: Dell'Osso, Liliana, Cremone, Ivan M, Carpita, Barbara, Dell'Oste, Valerio, Muti, Dario, Massimetti, Gabriele, Barlati, Stefano, Vita, Antonio, Fagiolini, Andrea, Carmassi, Claudia, Gesi, Camilla
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.05.2019; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Dove; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Bipolar disorder; Borderline personality disorder; Comorbidity; Diagnosis; Emotional disorders; Emotions; Handbooks; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mood; Mood disorders; Original Research; Personality; Personality disorders; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychopathology; PTSD; Rumination; Variables; post-traumatic stress disorder; ruminative thinking; mood disorders; borderline personality disorder
• ISSN: 1176-6328; 1178-2021; 1178-2021
• DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S198616

The interrelationship between mood disorders and borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been long debated in the literature. Increasing attention has also been paid to the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and BPD, as well as to the role of rumination in the development and severity of BPD. This study aims to evaluate the association of rumination, PTSD, and mood spectrum among patients with BPD with or without comorbid mood disorders. Fifty patients with BPD and 69 healthy controls were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for the 5, Mood Spectrum Self-Report (MOODS-SR), and Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). The BPD group was split into subjects with BPD+ mood disorder (MD) or BPD only) . PTSD-criteria fulfillment, MOODS, and RRS scores were significantly higher in both BPD subgroups than in controls, while BPD+MD patients scored significantly higher than the BPD-only group. RRS scores and PTSD-criteria fulfillment were significantly related to the presence of both BPD and BPD+MD, with no effect of MOODS-SR scores. Our findings confirm the presence of a relationship between BPD and the PTSD spectrum, highlighting also a possible role of rumination in BPD psychopathology. Rumination and PTSD symptoms seem to prevail in the effect of mood spectrum in predicting BPD.