Aggression in Borderline Personality Disorder: Evidence for Increased Risk and Clinical Predictors

This article aimed to systematically review the current literature regarding elevated risk of aggression in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and to review factors that differentiate aggressive from nonaggressive individuals with BPD. It has done so via a systematic review of the literature using Ovid MEDLINE and PsycINFO from 1980 to June 2010. Results indicate that BPD does not appear to be independently associated with increased risk of violence in the general population. History of childhood maltreatment, history of violence or criminality, and comorbid psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder appear to be predictors of violence in patients with BPD. This review concludes that the current evidence suggests that patients with BPD are not more violent than individuals in the general population. More studies are needed on factors that predict risk of aggression at an individual level.