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Self‐Mutilation and Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Borderline Personality Disorder
Author(s) -
Andover Margaret S.,
Pepper Carolyn M.,
Ryabchenko Karen A.,
Orrico Elizabeth G.,
Gibb Brandon E.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1521/suli.2005.35.5.581
Subject(s) - borderline personality disorder , anxiety , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , psychology , psychiatry , personality , population , medicine , social psychology , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between self‐mutilation and symptoms of depression and anxiety in a nonclinical population. Self‐mutilators reported significantly more symptoms of depression and anxiety than did the control group. When the group of self‐mutilators was divided into individuals who cut themselves and individuals who harm themselves in other ways, we found that the between‐group differences were primarily due to individuals with a history of cutting. Yet when symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) were statistically controlled, all significant between‐group differences in depressive and anxious symptoms were reduced to nonsignificant. These findings highlight the importance of assessing symptoms of BPD in self‐mutilators, regardless of diagnosis.