Table 1

Demographic and clinical characteristics of women with borderline personality disorder and healthy controls

Group; no. (%)*
CharacteristicBPDControlp value
Age, mean ± SD yr27.28 ± 6.3129.81 ± 9.620.35
Educational level, yr0.35
 0–101 (5.6)0 (0)
 11–138 (44.4)5 (23.8)
 14–176 (33.3)10 (47.6)
 > 173 (16.7)6 (28.6)
CTQ weighted score, mean ± SD†7.27 ± 5.081.24 ± 1.21< 0.001
Right-handedness15 (83.3)21 (100)0.09
Age at first disabling symptoms, mean ± SD yr‡14.06 ± 2.65
Psychotropic medication
 None11 (61.1)
 Lamotrigine2 (11.1)
 Antidepressants§6 (33.3)
 Antipsychotics (olanzapine)1 (5.6)
 Benzodiazepines0
 Lithium0
Substance use disorder4 (22.2)
Comorbid personality disorders
 Avoidant and paranoid2 (11.1)
 Avoidant4 (22.2)
 Dependent1 (5.6)
 None11 (61.1)
Comorbid axis I disorders, current
 Major depressive episode**2 (11.1)
 Panic disorder5 (27.8)
 General anxiety disorder3 (16.7)
 Social phobia5 (27.8)
 Posttraumatic stress disorder1 (5.6)
No. of depressive episodes ± SD18 ± 14.7
BPDSI total score ± SD††25.9 ± 8.0

  • BPD = borderline personality disorder; BPDSI = Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index; CTQ = Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; SD = standard deviation.

  • ↵* Unless otherwise indicated.

  • ↵† Weighted CTQ score available for 16 patients and 16 controls; range 0.0–16.93 in patients with BPD and 0.0–4.46 in controls.

  • ↵‡ Age at first incidence of disabling symptoms later related to BPD.

  • ↵§ Escitalopram, fluoxetine, bupropion and venlafaxine.

  • ↵ Two patients with alcohol abuse, 1 patient with alcohol dependency and 1 patient with benzodiazepine abuse.

  • ↵** A total of 17 (94.4%) of the patients had experienced at least 1 previous major depressive episode.

  • ↵†† BPDSI score available for 17 patients.