Borderline Symptoms at Age 12 Predict a Variety of Negative Outcomes at Age 18

Twelve-year-old children who exhibit symptoms associated with borderline personality disorder —such as experiencing extremes of rage, despair, or excitement—are at higher risk of having poor mental health by age 18, according to areport in theJournal of the American Academy of Child& Adolescent Psychiatry. The study also found these youth are more likely than their peers to be victims of violence and experience poor educational and employment outcomes.Some mental health professionals are reluctant to diagnose borderline symptoms in young teenagers because it is regarded by some as a stigmatizing diagnosis, noted Jasmin Wertz, Ph.D., of the Department of Psychology and Neurosciences at Duke University and colleagues. “[O]ur findings argue in favor of early access to treatment for adolescents with borderline symptoms and against a ‘wait-and-see’ approach.”A total of 2,232 British children in the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study (representing 1,116 families with same sex twins) were assessed during home visits at age 5, 7, 10, and 12; during these visits their mothers were also interviewed. At age 18, the participants were interviewed alone.When the participants were 12, the researchers asked their mothers to rate how well a list of attributes described their children; the list included such statements as “easily jealous,” “emotions spiral out of control, has extremes of rage, despair, or excitement,” “angry and hostile,” and “engages in s...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: borderline personality disorder borderline symptoms at age 12 Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study JAACAP poor outcomes at age 18 Source Type: research