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Biomedical subjects

F R Frankenburg

Publications and source records attributed to F R Frankenburg.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Olanzapine treatment of female borderline personality disorder patients: a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The intent of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of olanzapine versus placebo in the treatment of women meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD). METHOD: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of olanzapine in 28 female subjects meeting Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines and DSM-IV criteria for BPD. The subjects were randomly assigned to olanzapine or placebo in a 2:1 manner. Treatment duration was 6 months. Primary outcome measures were self-reported changes on anxiety, depression, paranoia, anger/hostility, and interpersonal sensitivity scales of the Symptom Checklist-90. RESULTS: Nineteen subjects were randomly assigned to olanzapine; 9. to placebo. When random effects regression modeling of panel data was used, controlling for baseline level of severity, olanzapine was associated with a significantly (p < .05) greater rate of improvement over time than placebo in all of the symptom areas studied except depression. Weight gain was modest in the olanzapine-treated group but was significantly higher than in those treated with placebo (p < .02). In addition, no serious movement disorders were noted. CONCLUSION: Olanzapine appears to be a safe and effective agent in the treatment of women with criteria-defined BPD, significantly affecting all 4 core areas of borderline psychopathology (i.e., affect, cognition, impulsivity, and interpersonal relationships).

Adolescent↗

Risk factors associated with the dissociative experiences of borderline patients.

The objective of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with the dissociative symptomatology of borderline patients. The Dissociative Experiences Scale--a 28-item self-report measure that has well documented reliability and validity--was administered to 290 criteria-defined borderline patients and 72 axis II comparison subjects. Semistructured interviews pertaining to difficult childhood experiences and adult experiences of being a victim of violence were administered to these patients blind to diagnostic status. In the sample of borderline patients alone, multiple regression analyses revealed that four risk factors were found to be significantly associated with the level of dissociation reported by these 290 patients: inconsistent treatment by a caretaker, sexual abuse by a caretaker, witnessing sexual violence as a child, and adult rape history. In the combined sample of axis II patients, the borderline diagnosis joined these four "traumatic" factors as a significant predictor of the overall level of dissociation reported by these 362 personality-disordered inpatients. The results of this study suggest that both sexual trauma and something intrinsic to the borderline diagnosis itself are risk factors for dissociative phenomena among borderline patients.

Adult↗

Biparental failure in the childhood experiences of borderline patients.

The purpose of this study was to assess the role of biparental abuse and neglect in the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD). A semistructured research interview was used to blindly assess the childhood experiences of biparental abuse and neglect reported by 358 borderline inpatients and 109 axis II controls. Eighty-four percent of borderline patients reported having experienced some type of biparental abuse or neglect before the age of 18; 55% reported a childhood history of biparental abuse; 77% reported a childhood history of biparental neglect. These experiences were also reported by a substantial percentage of Axis II controls (biparental abuse or neglect [61%], biparental abuse [31%], and biparental neglect [55%]). However, borderline patients were significantly more likely than axis II controls to report having been verbally, emotionally, and physically but not sexually abused by caretakers of both sexes. They were also significantly more likely than controls to report having caretakers of both sexes deny the validity of their thoughts and feelings, fail to provide them with needed protection, neglect their physical care, withdraw from them emotionally, and treat them inconsistently. It was also found that female borderlines who reported a previous history of neglect by a female caretaker and abuse by a male caretaker were at significantly higher risk for having been sexually abused by a noncaretaker. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that biparental failure may be a significant factor in the etiology of BPD. They also suggest that biparental failure may significantly increase a preborderline girl's risk of being sexually abused by someone other than her parents.

Adult↗

Violence in the lives of adult borderline patients.

The purpose of this study was to assess the experiences of adult violence reported by a sample of criteria-defined borderline patients and axis II controls. The experiences of having had a physically abusive partner and/or having been raped reported by 362 personality-disordered inpatients were assessed blind to diagnostic status using a semistructured research interview. Forty-six percent of borderline patients reported having been a victim of violence since the age of 18. Borderline patients (N = 290) were significantly more likely than axis II controls (N = 72) to report having had a physically abusive partner, having been raped, having been raped multiple times, having been raped by a known perpetrator, and having been both physically assaulted by a partner and raped. Female borderline patients were significantly more likely than male borderline patients to have been physically and/or sexually assaulted as adults (50% vs. 26%). However, a significantly higher percentage of borderline patients of both genders reported experiences of adult violence than controls of the same gender. Four risk factors were found to significantly predict whether borderline patients had an adult history of being a victim of violence: female gender, a substance use disorder that began before the age of 18, childhood sexual abuse, and emotional withdrawal by a caretaker. The results of this study suggest that both male and female borderline patients are at substantial risk for being physically and/or sexually victimized as adults.

Adult↗

Clozapine and body mass change.

BACKGROUND: Patients treated with clozapine have been reported to gain weight. We hypothesized that patients would also experience an increase in body mass, which can be more directly related to cardiovascular morbidity. METHODS: Forty-two patients who had been treated with clozapine for at least 1 year were weighed and measured, and waist-hip ratios (WHR) and body mass index (BMI), measured as kg/m2, were calculated. Patients were also asked about a series of factors potentially related to change in body mass. RESULTS: Female patients gained both weight and body mass. Their WHR after 37 months of clozapine therapy was .83, with a significant increase in BMI from 23.2 to 29.1 kg/m2 (p = .001). Male subjects also gained weight and body mass. Their WHR after 39 months of clozapine therapy was .93, with a significant increase in BMI from 26.4 to 29.7 kg/m2 (p < .001). Stepwise multiple-regression analysis showed that factors related to final body mass were initial body mass, dose of clozapine, and decrease in smoking. Baseline BMI contributed most to the final BMI, but the addition of dose and decrease in smoking made significant contributions to the model. CONCLUSIONS: Both female and male patients treated with clozapine gain body mass. This may place them at greater risk for cardiovascular morbidity.

Adult↗

Axis I comorbidity of borderline personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the lifetime rates of occurrence of a full range of DSM-III-R axis I disorders in a group of patients with criteria-defined borderline personality disorder and comparison subjects with other personality disorders. METHOD: The axis I comorbidity of 504 inpatients with personality disorders was assessed by interviewers who were blind to clinical diagnosis and who used a semistructured research interview of demonstrated reliability. RESULTS: Four new findings emerged from this study. First, anxiety disorders were found to be almost as common among borderline patients (N=379) as mood disorders but far more discriminating from axis II comparison subjects (N=125). Second, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was found to be a common but not universal comorbid disorder among borderline patients, a finding inconsistent with the view that borderline personality disorder is actually a form of chronic PTSD. Third, male and female borderline patients were found to differ in the type of disorder of impulse in which they "specialized." More specifically, substance use disorders were significantly more common among male borderline patients, while eating disorders were significantly more common among female borderline patients. Fourth, a lifetime pattern of complex comorbidity (i.e., met DSM-III-R criteria for both a disorder of affect and a disorder of impulse at some point before the patients' index admission) was found to have strong positive predictive power for the borderline diagnosis as well as a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the lifetime pattern of axis I comorbidity characteristic of borderline patients and distinguishing for the disorder is a particularly good marker for borderline personality disorder.

Adolescent↗

Reported pathological childhood experiences associated with the development of borderline personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess a full range of pathological childhood experiences reported by patients with criteria-defined borderline personality disorder and comparison patients with other personality disorders. METHOD: The pathological childhood experiences reported by 467 inpatients with personality disorders were assessed by interviewers who used a semistructured research interview and were blind to clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: Of the 358 patients with borderline personality disorder, 91% reported having been abused, and 92% reported having been neglected, before the age of 18. The borderline patients were significantly more likely than the 109 patients with other personality disorders to report having been emotionally and physically abused by a caretaker and sexually abused by a noncaretaker. They were also significantly more likely to report having a caretaker withdraw from them emotionally, treat them inconsistently, deny their thoughts and feelings, place them in the role of a parent, and fail to provide them with needed protection. The borderline patients with a childhood history of sexual abuse were significantly more likely than those without such a history to report having experienced all but one of the types of abuse and neglect studied. When all significant risk factors were considered together, four were found to be significant predictors of a borderline diagnosis: female gender, sexual abuse by a male noncaretaker, emotional denial by a male caretaker, and inconsistent treatment by a female caretaker. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that sexual abuse is neither necessary nor sufficient for the development of borderline personality disorder and that other childhood experiences, particularly neglect by caretakers of both genders, represent significant risk factors.

Adolescent↗

Pathways to the development of borderline personality disorder.

The available empirical evidence concerning the etiology of borderline personality disorder is reviewed. A tripartite model of the development of BPD is then presented. This model has three elements: a traumatic childhood (broadly defined), a vulnerable (hyperbolic) temperament, and a triggering event or series of events. The authors conclude that each borderline patient has a unique pathway to the development of BPD that is a painful variation on an unfortunate but familiar theme.

Adolescent↗

The effect of clozapine on saliva flow rate: a pilot study.

This study examined the effect of clozapine on saliva flow rate. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected from 9 patients taking clozapine (dose range = 50-400 mg/day) and from 8 controls who had never used clozapine. There was no significant difference between the average saliva flow rates in the two groups (p > .10), nor was there significant correlation between saliva flow rate and daily clozapine dose (p > .10). Alternative explanations for observations or complaints of excessive salivation, drooling, or a choking feeling while taking clozapine are proposed.

Antipsychotic Agents↗

Serum levels of clozapine and norclozapine in patients treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

OBJECTIVE: The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine can increase serum levels of clozapine and norclozapine, but effects of other SSRIs are unknown. Thus, the authors evaluated interactions of clozapine with fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline. METHOD: Serum clozapine and norclozapine concentrations were assayed in 80 psychiatric patients, matched for age and clozapine dose, given clozapine (mean dose = 279 mg/day) alone or with fluoxetine (mean dose = 39.3 mg/day), paroxetine (mean = 31.2 mg/day), or sertraline (mean = 92.5 mg/ day). Each patient's dose of clozapine was stable for at least a month before serum sampling. RESULTS: Concentrations of clozapine plus norclozapine averaged 43% higher, and the risk of levels higher than 1000 ng/ml was 10-fold greater (25%), in the patients taking SSRIs, with minor differences between patients taking the individual SSRIs. CONCLUSIONS: SSRIs can increase circulating concentrations of clozapine and norclozapine, sometimes to potentially toxic levels.

1-Naphthylamine↗

Relation of leukocyte counts during clozapine treatment to serum concentrations of clozapine and metabolites.

OBJECTIVE: This study was done to test the hypothesis that serum concentration of norclozapine is a risk factor for leukopenia during treatment with clozapine. METHOD: Maximum decreases in leukocyte counts in 44 unselected patients treated with clozapine were determined and then correlated with drug doses and serum concentrations of clozapine, norclozapine, and clozapine-N-oxide. RESULTS: White cell and granulocyte counts decreased by up to 60%-73%, but there were no positive correlations between these decrements and drug dose, drug level, ratio of drug level to drug dose, or ratio of norclozapine level to clozapine level, nor were the decreases related to age or gender. CONCLUSIONS: While these results do not suggest in vivo hemotoxicity of norclozapine, further study of patients with clinically significant leukopenia is required.

Clozapine↗

Clozapine-caused eosinophilic colitis.

Four patients with diarrhea and eosinophilia associated with clozapine therapy are presented. In two cases clozapine therapy was interrupted but then restarted; all patients eventually tolerated clozapine well. A syndrome of clozapine-induced eosinophilic colitis is suggested.

Adult↗