Table 1.
Characteristics of subjects.
| BPD | Control | Statistics (t-test, Chisq-test, Fisher’s exact test), p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 97 | 32 | |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 29.4 (7.6) | 37.2 (6.0) | <0.0001 |
| Men:women, n (%) | 0 (0.0): 97 (100.0) | 0 (0.0): 32 (100.0) | ns |
| Biological children, n (%) | 10 (10.3) | 21 (65.6) | <0.0001 |
| University Education, n (%) | 28 (28.9) | N/A | - |
| BMI, mean (SD) | 24.5 (4.7) | 24.1 (3.7) | ns |
| Tobacco usage, n (%) | 56 (57.7) | 13 (40.6) | 0.075 |
| Active Major Depressive Disorder, n (%) | 41 (42.3) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Severe MDD, n (%) | 13 (13.4) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Bipolar Disorder II or UNS, n (%) | 8 (8.2) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Comorbid Anxiety Disorder, n (%) | 59 (60.8) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Borderline personality disorder, n (%) | 97 (100.0) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| -≥7 fullfilled BPD criteria, n (%) | 31 (32.0) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| History of alcohol abuse, n (%) | 32 (33.0) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| History of substance abuse, n (%) | 26 (26.8) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| KIVS exposure to violent behavior during childhood (6–14 years of age), mean (SD) | 2.66 (1.86) | 0.36 (0.71) | <0.0001 |
| KIVS exposure to violent behavior as adult (>15 years of age), mean (SD) | 2.47 (1.90) | 0.35 (0.76) | <0.0001 |
| Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), mean (SD) | 49.2 (12.4) | N/A | - |
| Psychotropic Medication, n (%) | |||
| SSRI | 32 (33.0) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Non-SSRI antidepressants | 20 (20.6) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Mood stabilizers | 4 (4.1) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Bensodiazepines | 35 (36.1) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Neuroleptics | 12 (12.4) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| History of past suicide attempt, n (%) | 97 (100.0) | 0 (0.0) | - |
| Age at first suicide attempt, mean (SD) | 20.0 (7.5) | - | - |
| Later confirmed death by suicide, n (%) | 8 (8.25) | 0 (0.0) | 0.20 |
P-values were calculated by means of t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test or chi-squares test, contrasting values for control and BPD subjects. Pre-specified group differences were not subjected to such analyzes, i.e., frequency of psychiatric diagnoses, psychotropic medications or history/age at first suicide attempt. Subjects with extensive past or ongoing tobacco usage were classified as users, whereas occasional/party smokers (and non-users) were categorized as non-users. History of alcohol or substance abuse was considered present when the diagnosis of an alcohol or substance abuse diagnosis was recorded (incuding cases where these were in remittance). Non-SSRI antidepressant in the majority pertained to ongoing usage of psychotropic drugs with active substances desvenlafaxine (Effexor), desmethylmirtazapine (Remeron/Mirtazapine) and Amitriptyline (Clomipramine)(in order of frequency). Mood stabilizers included Valproic Acid (Ergenyl), Litium (Lithionit) and Lamictal (Lamotrigine). Bensodiazepine medications used were alprazolam (Xanor), clomethiazole (Heminevrin), Oxazepam (Sobril), Diazepam (Stesolid) - also Z-drugs Zopiclone (Imovane) and Zolpidem (Stilnoct) were included. Neuroleptics included Levomepromazine (Nozinan), Risperidone (Risperdal), Olanzapine (Zyprexa), Haloperidol (Haldol) and Quetiapine (Seroquel). The number of recorded suicidal/parasuicidal events did not take severity of attempt into account (i.e., intoxications or self-cutting were weighted equally to more severe attempts involving, for example, violence). A one-tailed p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.
BMI body-mass index, BPD borderline personality disorder, KIVS karolinska interpersonal violence scale, ns not significant, SSRI selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.