Effect of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy on anxiety and impulsivity symptoms in men with borderline personality disorder

Many researches have been conducted to evaluate the treatment methods of borderline personality disorder (BPD). In this study we compared the cognitive behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy and their combination.
Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 40 males with BPD were divided randomly to four groups.(method and materials) This study is a experimental research. the sample was consider of 40 male in prison mashhad, the sample were allocted either to a experimental group or to a (control group ) in a randomized design. The Beck Anexiety inventory and impulsivity checkList were used as the pre-test. Using for group pharmacotherapy (lithium carbonate , Fluoxetine).
At first, all patients were evaluated by Beck anxiety test and impulsivity questionnaire. The first group received pharmacotherapy (lithium carbonate and fluoxetine). The second group received cognitive behavioral therapy including 16 sessions of 90 minutes. The third group received a combined therapy and the control group received no intervention. The same tests were administered of four groups as the post-tests. To analyze the data, a one way ANOVA and Tokay test were conducted.
Results:Analysis of variance showed that symptoms of impulsivity (F=39.71, P>0.01) were significantly different in post-tests. Tokay test revealed that combined treatment and pharmacotherapy were more effective than the other methods (P>0.01). Post-test anxiety scores also showed a significant difference among the four study groups (F=5.11, P>0.06). The findings indicated that cognitive behavioral therapy was more effective than the other three groups (P>0.01).
Conclusion: Cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in reducing anxiety and impulsivity symptoms in patients with borderline personality disorder.