COVID-19 and lockdown impact on BPD patients and their familiars

Introduction

It is large known that Coronavirus outbreak has had a psychological impact on the general population, specifically on those with a mental disease as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and their relatives.

Objectives

The aim of the study is to identify and examine the individual and familiar impact of the coronavirus outbreak on patients diagnosed with BPD and their parents.

Methods

A qualitative research design using focus groups was selected to identify and discuss participants’ experiences, beliefs, perceptions and attitudes. The target population consisted of patients with BPD and their parents. Participants were recruited from the BPD psychiatric service from the Hospital Universitari de la Vall de Hebron (Barcelona, Spain). Data was collected via two focus groups, one with patients with BPD and other with their parents. Content analysis was used to determine categories and themes.

Results

The qualitative analysis of participants’ perceptions are presented using the following themes: changes and difficulties during lockdown, after lockdown concerns and challenges, general learning, and future needs. Results identify factors associated with the COVID-19 outbreak and other factors already present as family dynamics and individual difficulties.

Conclusions

Findings have been discussed focusing on individual and familiar impact, and allows us to consider challenges precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study evidence that a family intervention approach is essential to enhance BPD treatment.

[Borderline personality disorder diagnosis: concordance between clinical and semiestructured interview evaluation]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

No study in Spain has analyzed the difference in frequencies of the diagnoses made based on clinical evaluation and semistructured interview in borderline personality disorder diagnosis (BPD). This present study aims to analyze diagnostic concordance in BPD patients previous diagnosed based on clinical evaluations using clinical semistructured interviews for DSM-IV axis II (SCID-II), and to analyze if there are differences in the distribution of frequencies of the psychiatry disorders in the diagnostic concordance group and the non-diagnostic concordance one.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The study was carried out with 146 patients referred to the Borderline Personality Disorder Program of the Psychiatric Department at the Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron during its first year of service. A descriptive study was designed to analyze diagnostic concordance between previous BPD clinical evaluation and semistructured interview SCID-II administered by clinical experienced interviewers.

RESULTS

Diagnostic concordance was not observed in 30% of the final study patients. The results indicated that all the study patients presented a great number of psychiatry disorders. There were significant differences between the diagnostic concordance group and the non-diagnostic concordance one. A higher number of personality disorder (Z=3.36; p=0.01) and anxiety disorder (Z=3.04; p=0.002) was observed in the diagnostic concordance group.

CONCLUSIONS

BPD was diagnosed 30% less when using semistructured interviews than with clinical evaluations.