Even if it was first described in borderline personality disorder, emotion dysregulation (ED) is increasingly recognized as a transdiagnostic and dimensional construct, best understood along a continuum of severity rather than as a discrete category. Prior cluster-analytic studies have consistently explored heterogeneity within this continuum by identifying patient subgroups, but most were conducted in populations defined by specific diagnostic categories, limiting their generalizability. To better capture ED's core components, studies conducted in clinically heterogeneous adult populations are needed.

Mothers with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are assumed to perceive difficulties in the relationship towards their children. However, a detailed and comprehensive investigation on how mothers with BPD reflect and speak about their children as an indicator for mental representations of the mother-child relationship is yet missing. In two articles drawing from a cross-sectional data set of a multi-center study, we examined these aspects in mothers with BPD compared with a healthy and a clinical control group comprising mothers with anxiety disorders, depression, or both. Using the Five Minute Speech Sample, we focused on Expressed Emotion (EE), Narrative Coherence (NC) - both in the primary data analysis - and an extended assessment of Mind-Mindedness (extended MM) in the secondary data analysis. This article mainly addresses the similarities and differences between the three constructs on a conceptual level and regarding the respective study results, and additionally discusses the overall results from both studies. When comparing the three constructs, we identified differences regarding the level of analyzed content (i.e., characteristics of speech vs. characteristics of representation) and the level of orientation (i.e., reference to the mother herself vs. reference to the child). Three aspects are assessed via all operationalizations: (1) reporting negatively about characteristics or behaviors of the child, (2) reporting weaknesses of the child, and (3) descriptions of relationship quality. Mothers with BPD were more likely to express overt criticism (EE) and express more mental attributes with negative valence (extended MM) than both the clinical and healthy control groups. Given that we found particularities in the parent-child relationship in mothers with BPD across all three coding systems, we assume the overlap to be grounded in a tendency towards greater disapproval of child characteristics and reports of challenges in relationship quality. Considering the results of both studies, this article provides the most a comprehensive examination of these relational aspects in mothers with BPD, including comparisons with both healthy and clinical control groups. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities underlying mental representations of the mother-child relationship in the context of BPD.

The present paper takes a broad perspective on the psychosocial functioning in adult patients with personality disorders. We start with a working definition, then we report on psychosocial functioning in personality disorders from both categorical and dimensional perspectives of personality disorder. We add a section on assessment tools which may be used in this context. We then address the question of how problematic psychosocial functioning may be addressed in psychotherapy and other treatment contexts, when it comes to supporting the person's move towards sustained recovery. We add a lived and living experience perspective to psychosocial functioning and recovery. We end with recommendations for future research in the domain of psychosocial functioning.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex and severe mental health condition often accompanied by several co-occurring clinical problems. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common co-occurring disorders, with prevalence rates of PTSD reported to be between 25% and 58% among persons with BPD. The primary aim of the current study was to evaluate the association of a PTSD diagnosis and different forms of childhood trauma with changes in BPD severity, PTSD severity, and frequency of suicidal behaviors among suicidal individuals with BPD undergoing 12-months of standard dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

To explore how emotional-modulated inhibitory control, as assessed by the emotional Go/No-Go task and EEG, correlates with the multidimensional profile of borderline personality disorder (BPD).

While the effects of psychotherapy methods are being intensively researched, little is known about the clinical and neurobiological effects of specific psychotherapeutic interventions. This study examines the effects of experiential emotion-focused and cognitive interventions in schema therapy on emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder.

Narrative speech production (NSP), i.e., the conceptualization, linguistic formulation, and articulation of a story, is a multifaceted process underpinned by cognitive functions and mentalization ability, often impaired in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study examines differences in linguistic formulation between individuals with BPD and healthy controls (HCs), and explores how task type influences linguistic formulation, as well as how linguistic formulation relates to temporal parameters of speech uniquely in BPD.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex psychiatric condition strongly associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This study examined how childhood trauma interacts with impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and cognitive functioning to identify distinct clinical subtypes in women with BPD and inform personalized treatment strategies.

We recently published treatment outcome data of patients with severe Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) after one year of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in Integrated Care Borderline (ICB). ICB provides DBT in the structures of an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), working with a multi-professional outpatient team located in a psychiatric hospital. It integrates all elements of DBT with psychiatric and social support as well as crisis intervention if necessary. Previous data demonstrated significant improvements in BPD pathology and psychosocial functioning after one year. Since treatment typically took longer than one year, we now present data of the two years follow-up.

Personality disorders (PDs) have long been studied in adulthood, with relatively limited attention to their developmental course during adolescence. Recent research, however, underscores the importance of early identification and intervention in youth, as personality pathology can be reliably detected in this period and is associated with significant functional impairments. Grounded in the DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), the present study explores potential intrapsychic mechanisms linking maladaptive trait domains to global personality functioning in adolescents. Drawing on developmental theories that emphasize the role of self-regulatory and reflective capacities in personality development, we examined whether emotion dysregulation and metacognitive difficulties help explain the relationship between pathological traits and functioning.

The tendency to forgive is associated with traits such as agreeableness and neuroticism, mental well-being, and interpersonal functioning. Given documented associations with interpersonal conflict and aggression in borderline personality disorder (BPD), forgiveness (or, lack thereof) may be particularly relevant for BPD symptomatology but remains understudied. This study examines forgiveness in BPD compared to a heterogeneous clinical control group without personality disorder (CC), exploring its associations with aggression and interpersonal dysfunction using both direct (self-reported) and indirect (implicit) measures.

Family climate substantially influences children’s socio-emotional development. We examined mothers’ mental representations of their children and their relationships in three groups of mothers with young children (0–6 years): mothers (1) with a borderline personality disorder (BPD) (2), with a depressive or anxiety disorder but no BPD (AD/D), or (3) without a current mental disorder (CON). We expected both clinical groups to show more negative mental representations – more expressed emotion reflecting a critical attitude toward the child in general, more hostile attributions to child misbehavior in particular, and a less balanced view of the child (i.e., lower narrative coherence) – than CON mothers. We also expected mothers with BPD to have more impaired mental representations than mothers with AD/D.

Emotion dysregulation is a central feature in trauma-associated disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, it remains unclear whether emotion dysregulation is a transdiagnostic phenomenon closely linked to childhood trauma, or if disorder-specific alterations in emotion processing exist. Following a multimethodological approach, we aimed to assess and compare the reactivity to and regulation of emotions between patients with BPD and PTSD, as well as healthy controls, and identify associations with childhood trauma.

There is a need for a parenting intervention that specifically addresses the concerns for parents with borderline personality disorder (BPD) due to the challenges that these parents experience and the stigma that surrounds parenting with BPD. Such interventions may also prevent intergenerational transmission of psychopathology and support clinicians to provide care within a personality disorder framework. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief parenting group intervention for parents with BPD.

Borderline personality symptoms are often associated with social-cognitive impairments, but the impact of childhood trauma on emotional processing remains poorly understood. This study explored the moderating role of childhood abuse and neglect in the relationship between borderline traits and emotion recognition.

Parents are often considered reliable reporters of their child’s personality, and are typically the primary informants in youth assessments. However, little is known about how parents’ own personality trait pathology influences their evaluations, raising concerns about potential bias in these assessments. This study investigates the impact of Cluster B DSM-5 maternal borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic trait constellations on the agreement between late adolescent self-reports and maternal reports of adolescent personality.

In this study, network analysis technique is applied to dissect the links between personality organization, reflective functioning, attachment security, primary affective traits, childhood trauma and psychopathological symptoms.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by instability in interpersonal relationships and fear of abandonment, which intensify during stress. Social stressors seem to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in healthy controls (HC), but this has not been investigated in patients with BPD. This study aimed to investigate the effects of social stress, i.e., social exclusion on changes of progesterone and estradiol levels in women with BPD compared to HC.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health condition characterized by pervasive instability in mood, interpersonal relationships, self-concepts, and behavior. A reliable assessment of BPD symptom severity is essential for effective treatment planning and evaluation. This study introduces and evaluates the Borderline Symptom List Interview (BSL-I), a semi-structured interview designed to assess the severity of BPD symptoms comprehensively.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is often underdiagnosed in Malaysia due to limited specialized training and validated screening tools. Although the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD) is a well-established measure, it lacks validation in Southeast Asia. This study evaluated the MSI-BPD's psychometric properties in a Malaysian context.