IMPACT OF THERAPIST VACATIONS ON INPATIENTS WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY-DISORDER

For patients with borderline personality disorder, separations from si gnificant figures in their lives, including therapists, are thought to be particularly painful. According to clinical wisdom, these patients manifest aggressive and self-destructive behavior around the time of separation. However, virtually no empirical studies have been conducte d to test these beliefs. In this study, the behaviors of a sample of 4 1 inpatients with borderline personality disorder were recorded and an alyzed to determine what, if any, effect their therapists' vacations h ad on target behaviors, including acting up, self-destructive behavior s, and somatic complaints. Results indicated significant variations in the rates of acting up and somatic complaints before, during, and aft er therapist vacations. No significant variations were observed in the rate of self-destructive behaviors, failing to support the commonly h eld belief that self-destructive acts in borderline patients may be es pecially prevalent around therapist vacations. Possible reasons for th e pattern of findings are discussed, as are the implications for clini cal practice.