Borderline Personality Disorder in Older Adults: A Review of the Diagnostic and Treatment Dilemma

Abstract

A borderline personality disorder is one of the most common personality disorders encountered in psychiatric practice and medicine overall, yet it is poorly understood. Emotional lability, impulsivity, unstable relationships, and chronic emptiness are just some of the symptoms of this complex disorder. This review aims to understand the diagnosis and treatment of borderline personality disorder in older individuals. Based on our review, we have noticed that diagnosing and treating borderline personality disorder in older individuals can be particularly challenging, but a combination of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and pharmacotherapy, especially antidepressants, has been shown to be effective for most individuals.
This topic is vastly misunderstood and understudied. By bringing together various articles as a part of this review, we have attempted to bridge this gap to a certain degree.