State of the art in the pharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder

Abstract

This article reviews the most recent studies of the pharmacologic treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Although research continues using randomized controlled trials with a placebo arm as well as active medication, meta-analyses and systematic reviews have revealed that the use of any specific medication or medication class in BPD remains at best uncertain and inconclusive. Studies indicate that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have fallen out of favor, and researchers have turned their attention to the study of mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics. Thus, it is not surprising that trends in prescribing appear to be shifting toward the use of these two classes over the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; yet we remain without any medication that has a specific indication for treatment of BPD or an indication for any symptom that is seen as part of the BPD syndrome.