[Pharmacotherapy of a 67-year old female with borderline personality disorder].

Abstract

Pharmacotherapy in older adults with personality disorders is very complicated. On the one hand, this is caused by interference of the personality disorder in the therapeutic relationship. On the other hand, age specific factors, such as polypharmacy and changing pharmacokinetics and -dynamics play an important complicating role. In this article the difficulties of pharmacotherapy in older adults with personality disorders are illustrated by the description of a case of a 67-year old female with a borderline personality disorder. She has an extensive history of many therapies, which have not been effective in treating a variety of symptoms. This case description emphasizes the importance of making the correct diagnosis and focusing pharmacotherapy on the personality disorder. Also, decreasing polypharmacy, often a consequence of an extensive history of many - both psychiatric and somatic - treatments, plays an important role. There is a lack of evidence on pharmacotherapy in older adults with personality disorders to rely on and therefore there is a need for more research on this subject.