Prediction of Suicidal Ideation in Patients with Bipolar Disorder by the Role of Borderline Personality High Traits in Zanjan (Northwest of Iran)

Background Objective: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health disorder that affects the way people think and feel about themselves and others, causing problems in everyday life functions and attributes. BPD has a high comorbidity with mood disorders such as bipolar disorder (BD). The people with borderline personality traits (BPT) are not diagnosed as personality disorder but they have the traits of this personality disorder that can affect their mental health and function. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of BPT as a predictor of suicidal ideation in patients with BD. Materials Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 50 individuals (25 women and 25 men) who were hospitalized in Shahid Beheshti psychiatric hospital, Zanjan, Iran. The patients were selected by structural clinical interview and then examined by borderline personality inventory (BPI) and Beck scale for suicide ideation (BSSI). The diagnosis of bipolar disorder was made by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistical methods and inferential statistics including independent t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient and Multivariate regression analysis with stepwise methods. Results: The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between BPT and suicidal ideation in patients with BD. Pearson correlation coefficient results revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the component of primary defense mechanisms as one of the BPT components and suicidal ideation in patients with BD. The results also showed that the type of mood disorder along with BPT and gender are not determinants of suicidal ideation in patients but, there is a relationship between BPT and suicidal ideation in bipolar patients. Conclusion: We showed a relationship between BPT and suicidal ideation in BD patients. Our study also showed that a high level of BPT which could lead to the diagnosis of BPD may be a risk factor for suicidal ideation. Thus, it seems that one of the central modifiable risk factors for suicidal ideation severity is BPD features.