Borderline personality disorder and self-directed violence in a sample of suicidal army soldiers.

Abstract

There has been a sharp increase in the military suicide rates in 2004. While, borderline personality disorder (BPD) has a stronger association with suicide attempts than any other mental health disorder, there is limited evidence concerning the prevalence and scope of BPD symptoms among military personnel. This secondary data analysis compared active duty suicidal soldiers to characterize the presence-absence of BPD diagnostic criteria and lifetime history of self-directed violence in a suicidal military sample. The current study examined data of 137 active Service Members with significant suicidal ideation. Approximately one-quarter of the soldiers in this sample met full diagnostic criteria for BPD. The presence of BPD criteria was generally consistent among participants with BPD who reported past self-directed violence relative to those who did not. The number of BPD criteria was a significant predictor of the odds of reporting any nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) as well as the amount of NSSI, but was not associated with suicide attempt. This study demonstrated that a nontrivial proportion of suicidal soldiers meet criteria for this condition, which is strongly associated with self-directed violence. It is important to rigorously assess for the presence-absence of BPD criteria among suicidal military personnel and cultivate prevention strategies and treatment options for BPD.

Personality disorder and suicide risk among patients in the veterans affairs health system.

“…Of the four clusters of PD diagnoses, Cluster A had the lowest percentage of documented suicide attempts (2.9%). These findings mirror previous work that has found that individuals in Cluster B (especially those with BPD) have high rates of self-harm and suicide attempts (Fruhbauerova et al, 2021).…”

“…An evaluation of 955 service members admitted to Walter Reed for suicidal ideation or recent suicide attempt found that the most prevalent diagnoses were PD-NOS and BPD (George et al, 2019). Another study looking at active service members with suicidal ideation found that those with BPD had a higher number of incidents of self-injury and suicide attempts than those without BPD (Fruhbauerova et al, 2021). Both studies found high rates of specific PD diagnoses (BPD and PD-NOS) within military samples with suicidal ideation, indicating there may be incremental benefits of looking at specific subgroups of individuals with PD diagnoses, in addition to PDs overall, when assessing suicide risk.…”

Understanding processes that advance suicidal behavior among Israeli active duty soldiers: A mediation model

“…Clearly, clinical findings have already demonstrated the disturbing association between mental illness with more frequent NSSI, SI, and SA among civilian (Zetterqvist et al, 2013) and military samples (Fruhbauerova et al, 2019). Nevertheless, the results of our study, which was conducted among a typical, nonclinical young population of soldiers, suggest that the danger of self‐destructive behaviors hovers not only in clinical populations but also in normative populations.…”

The Association between Borderline Personality Disorder and Criminal Activity and Self-harm, Including Suicidal Behavior: A Systematic Review

“…One study estimated that 72.6% of BPD patients had a history of at least one suicide attempt in their lifetime [Soloff, 1994]. Fruhbauerova et al organized research to estimate the prevalence of BPD features in army personnel involved in suicidal behaviors [Fruhbauerova, 2019]. Around 27.7% of suicidal army soldiers fulfilled the criteria of BPD.…”

“…Around 27.7% of suicidal army soldiers fulfilled the criteria of BPD. The study also examined that BPD-diagnosed soldiers were younger and most likely unmarried than those without BPD features [Fruhbauerova, 2019]. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) involves any intended direct damage or changes in the body's tissues without a conscious plan to commit suicide [Favazza, 1998].…”