Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adult females with borderline personality disorder / Hanadi Abdalla Abdalla ; Supervised Aref Abdelhalim Khoweiled , Walaa Amin Fakher

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Neuropsychiatry

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a disabling mental illness, with a prevalence of 5.9 % in the general population. ADHD is a common mental disorders as well. Clinical experience suggests that people with borderline personality disorder often meet criteria for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Aims: To establish the prevalence of childhood and adult ADHD in a group of females diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and to investigate the effect of the comorbidity on the severity of the symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Method: We assessed females seeking treatment for borderline personality disorder symptoms (n=30), first we confirmed the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder,excluded other psychiatric comorbidities and screened for the diagnosis of childhood and adult ADHD, and correlate childhood and adult ADHD with the severity of symptoms of borderline personality disorder. We compared them to 30 healthy female controls. Results: (53.3%) of The patient`s group (females diagnosed with BPD) diagnosed with adult ADHD and (63.3%) of them also diagnosed with childhood ADHD. The severity of BPD symptoms was correlated to the comorbidity with ADHD.Conclusions: Adults with severe borderline personality disorder frequently show history of childhood ADHD symptomatology. Further studies are needed to differentiate any potential causal relationship between ADHD and borderline personality disorder

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