Relationship Between Psychiatric Morbidity and Substance Dependence in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder

Abstract

Purposes of this study were empirical research of prevalence of psychiatric morbidity (PM) in male prisoners suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) and also relations between PM and pattern of substance dependence (SD). This cross-sectional study was done at a prison hospital with total sample size of 712 participants (study = 306, control = 306). The study period was 20 months. All participants were male prisoner ≥ 18 years of age suffering from BPD. Participants in study group met an additional criterion of having SD. Results indicate that there was no difference between two groups in terms of socio-demographic variables like age, educational status, and occupation. Among study participants those suffering from PM had earlier onset of substance use, both use and dependence for longer duration and more sever consumption pattern than those without PM. Majority of them had onset of PM after onset of SD. Substance using BPD prisoners had higher (68.6%) prevalence of PM especially generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (24.2%), adjustment disorder (12.7%), and major depressive disorder (MDD)/recurrent depressive disorder (RDD) (11.1%). Among study participants, 118 (56.9%) participants with PM used three or more than three psychoactive substances against 20(20.3%) in those without PM. The results suggest that a higher burden of PM exists in substance using BPD population than those without PM and occurrence of PM in turn leads to earlier onset and increased severity of SD in this population.