Should psychiatrists be more cautious about the use of antipsychotics for patients with borderline personality disorder?

Abstract

Five ago, Murray 1 published an asking whether ‘‘psychiatrists should be more cautious about the long-term prophylactic use of antipsychotics.’’ They brought up five important issues about the long-term use of antipsychotics in schizophrenia patients: a) the effects of antipsychotics on physical health; b) the effects of antipsychotics on brain structure; c) the efficacy of long-term antipsychotic use; d) antipsychotic-induced dopamine receptor supersensitivity, and e) treatment-resistant schizophrenia. However, they did not discuss the potential harm in other psychiatric diseases, such as in borderline personality disorder (BPD). In fact, no study has ever discussed the potential harm and iatrogenic potential of long-term antipsychotic use in BPD patients.