Are Impairments in Theory of Mind Specific to Borderline Personality Disorder?

Journal of Personality Disorders
Eivind Normann-EideTheresa Wilberg

Abstract

Impaired theory of mind (ToM) is an assumed feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Yet, no studies have compared ToM abilities in patients with BPD, other personality disorders, and healthy controls, or investigated the relationship between ToM and severity of psychopathology and interpersonal problems. In this study, ToM was investigated by the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition. No differences were found between the three groups in overall ToM abilities. The BPD group was, however, characterized by more excessive ToM (interpreted as hypermentalization). Yet, when differentiating between BPD and further severity indicators, excessive ToM was not specifically associated with a BPD diagnosis per se. Finally, there was a moderate association between hypermentalization and interpersonal problems in the BPD group. This study suggests that BPD patients tend to hypermentalize when they misinterpret social information, and that this tendency is related to the severity of their psychopathology.

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Citations

Aug 15, 2020·Frontiers in Psychiatry·Elfrida H KvarsteinTheresa Wilberg
Oct 13, 2020·Psychotherapy Research : Journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research·E J FolmoE H Kvarstein
Nov 19, 2019·Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry·Leire ErkorekaMercedes Zumarraga
Feb 1, 2022·American Journal of Psychotherapy·Veronica McLarenCarla Sharp

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