Egyptian Journal of Psychiatry

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year
: 2019  |  Volume : 40  |  Issue : 1  |  Page : 41--47

Defense style and dissociative phenomena in patients with borderline personality disorder


Mohamed A Abdelhameed, Mohamed T Seddik, Nashaat A.M Abdel-Fadeel 
 Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

Correspondence Address:
Nashaat A.M Abdel-Fadeel
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, 61111
Egypt

Introduction Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are unique and diverse in their pathology, defense style, and clinical presentations. Many of these patients have other personality disorders as well. They tend to display a wide range of other psychiatric disorders, including dissociative phenomena and experiences. Patients and methods A total of 60 female patients were diagnosed with BPD using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IV ed. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders. Severity of illness and emotional and behavioral aspects of patients were assessed using Borderline Evaluation of Severity over Time. Defense style of patients was assessed using the Defense Style Questionnaire. Dissociative phenomena were studied using the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES). Results The most commonly used defenses by the study patients were undoing, idealization, somatization, and splitting. Patients with absent criteria 4 (impulsivity) and 7 (feeling of emptiness) of BPD significantly displayed more mature defenses, whereas patients having criterion 9 (paranoid ideation and severe dissociation) of BPD significantly displayed neurotic type of defenses. Mature defenses were significantly negatively correlated with the absorption and depersonalization factors of DES. Neurotic defenses were significantly correlated with the total score of DES, absorption, and depersonalization factors. Immature defenses were significantly correlated only with the depersonalization factor of DES. Conclusion Patients with BPD have a specific pattern of defense style that might be linked to their specific illness criteria. Displaying certain phenomena of dissociation might be related to the particular pattern of the dominant defense mechanisms in these patients.


How to cite this article:
Abdelhameed MA, Seddik MT, Abdel-Fadeel NA. Defense style and dissociative phenomena in patients with borderline personality disorder.Egypt J Psychiatr 2019;40:41-47


How to cite this URL:
Abdelhameed MA, Seddik MT, Abdel-Fadeel NA. Defense style and dissociative phenomena in patients with borderline personality disorder. Egypt J Psychiatr [serial online] 2019 [cited 2024 Mar 29 ];40:41-47
Available from: https://new.ejpsy.eg.net//article.asp?issn=1110-1105;year=2019;volume=40;issue=1;spage=41;epage=47;aulast=Abdelhameed;type=0