The Efficacy of Pharmacotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Review of the Available Randomized Controlled Trials

Although there are no medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD), polypharmacy is commonly encountered in individuals with BPD. This review summarizes the results of randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of pharmacologic agents in BPD. Pharmacotherapy in BPD is an adjunctive treatment aimed at stabilizing symptoms and behavior in a crisis situation, and it should be avoided whenever possible. Further studies are needed, including large, randomized controlled trials with long-term follow up, to examine the efficacy of psychiatric medications in patients with BPD. [Psychiatr Ann. 2015;45(8):431-437.] Dimitry Francois, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College; an Associate Director, Psychiatry Clerkship, New York-Presbyterian Hospital; and the Site Director, Psychiatry Clerkship, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester. Steven D. Roth, MD, JD, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College; the Acute Division Director and the Unit Chief, Personality Disorders Unit, New YorkPresbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. Daisy Klingman, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College; and an Attending Psychiatrist, Personality Disorders Unit, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. Address correspondence to Dimitry Francois, MD, 21 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY 10605; email: [email protected]. Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. doi: 10.3928/00485713-20150803-09 © S hu tte rs to ck