Here are quick links to the studies that were reviewed at Suite101 PD during the month of October 2007.

New Research on Personality Disorders

At Suite101, we promise to bring you the latest articles on new research findings related to Personality Disorder. Each month, the PD Feature Page will have a link to the most recently reviewed research, so that you can easily stay up-to-date on new therapies and PD information. The following are PD studies that were reviewed by the Suite101 PD Feature Writer in October of 2007.

Quick Links to PD Research Reviewed 10/07

The Antisiocial Brain & Violence: Atypical Frontal Lobes of Violent APD Offenders

A recent study in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that frontal lobe abnormalities of those with APD may contribute to violent behavior. Naryan et al (2007) have completed the first study of the relationship between violence and brain structure in Antisocial Personality Disorder and schizophrenia, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and found that violent individuals with APD do have significant anomalies in brain structure.

Medication, Self-Destruction & Personality Disorders: Research on Pharmacotherapy for Personality Disorder Suicidality

What do we know about the effectiveness of drug therapies used in the treatment of PD suicidal behavior? In the June 2007 issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Robert Cardish, a supervisory faculty member at Mount Sinai Psychotherapy Institute, examines the existing literature for information on the efficacy of pharmacotherapies in PD suicidality.

Metabolism in the BPD Brain & Anatomy of the BPD Brain

A study recently appearing in the May 2007 issue of Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience reviews what we know about brain physiology of BPD patients. This review explores research done over the past 30 years examining the Borderline brain, the collective findings of which reveal abnormalities in anatomy and physiological response.

Time Heals Borderline PD Symptoms: New Research Shows that Many BPD Traits Improve Over the Years

The suffering of those with severe BPD isn’t always a life sentence. According to new Harvard-based research by Zanarini et al (2007), 12 of the 24 symptoms typically associated with BPD showed a marked decline over the course of their 10-year study.

This Suite 101 article briefly summarizes recent research relating to psychological Personality Disorders. The contents of this article are not meant to be used for diagnosis and are not a substitute for professional help and counseling.

More Information on Personality Disorder Research

Additional links to recent research on Personality Disorders include the Suite101 articles, New Borderline PD Research 10-07, Personality Disorder Research 9-07, and Research on Antisocial PD, or the excellent websites Psychology Prof Online and The Mayo Clinic: Mental Health Center.

Sources

Cardish, R. J. (2007) Psychopharmacologic Management of Suicidality in Personality Disorders. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 52, 6.

Lis, E., Greenfield, B., Henry, M., Guile, J.M. and Dougherty, G. (2007) Neuroimaging and genetics of borderline personality disorder: a review. Journal of Psychiatry andNeuroscience, 32, 3.

Narayan, V.M., Narr, K.L., Kamuri, V., Woods, R.P. et al. (2007) Regional Cortical Thinning in Subjects With Violent Antisocial Personality Disorder or Schizophrenia. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 9.

Zanarini, M., Frankenburg, F., Reich, D. B., Silk, K. et al. (2007) The Subsyndromal Phenomenology of Borderline Personality Disorder: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study. Am J Psychiatry,164, 6.