Primary Care Reports – July 1, 2013
July 1, 2013
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The Difficult Chronic Pain Patient: A Case of Borderline Personality Disorder?
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a striking personality dysfunction characterized by inherent difficulties with self-regulation as well as chronic self-destructive behavior. In patients with this disorder, the pain experience is seemingly paradoxical. During acute self-destructive acts, up to 80% of individuals with BPD describe attenuated responses to pain (i.e., high tolerance of pain).