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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Do Mood Stabilizers Help in Borderline Personality Disorder?

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BackgroundDespite the relatively weak evidence base, individuals with borderline personality disorder are often treated with pharmacological interventions. Amongst the drugs, which have shown most promise, are mood stabilizers, which were one of the two drug classes with the most beneficial effects in a previous cochrane review though the robustness of findings was described as low (Stoffers et al., 2010). Here we present data on the latest evidence for mood stabilizers based on an updated cochrane review currently underway.MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted. All randomized comparisons of drug vs. placebo, drug vs. drug, or drug vs. a combination of drugs in adult BPD patients were eligible for inclusion. Outcomes comprised BPD core pathology as depicted by DSM criteria, associated pathology, i.e., depression and anxiety, general measures of overall psychopathology severity, tolerability, and adverse effects. Two researchers selected trials, assessed quality and extracted data independently.ResultsOnly a limited number of additional trials using mood stabilizers was identified since the publication of the last cochrane review, mainly utilizing Sodium Valproate. This added to the evidence base for mood stabilizers though the overall evidence remains very limited.ConclusionMood stabilizers show some initial evidence for their effectiveness in borderline personality disorder. However, these have to be replicated before wider conclusions can be drawn for clinical practice.Disclosure of interestThe authors declare that they have no competing interest.