Decreased sensitivity to facial emotions in adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder

Marion Robin, Alexandra Pham-Scottez, Florence Curt, Corinne Dugre-Le Bigre, Mario Speranza, David Sapinho, Maurice Corcos, Sylvie Berthoz, Gayannée Kedia
Psychiatry Research. 2012-12-01; 200(2-3): 417-421
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2012.03.032

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1. Psychiatry Res. 2012 Dec 30;200(2-3):417-21. doi:
10.1016/j.psychres.2012.03.032. Epub 2012 Apr 4.

Decreased sensitivity to facial emotions in adolescents with Borderline
Personality Disorder.

Robin M(1), Pham-Scottez A, Curt F, Dugre-Le Bigre C, Speranza M, Sapinho D,
Corcos M, Berthoz S, Kedia G.

Author information:
(1)Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste
Montsouris, Paris, France.

Whereas severe relationship dysfunction in BPD is well described in adolescence,
little is known about the way these patients process facial expressions of
emotion. Because few data are available regarding this issue, the present study
compared the sensitivity to morphed facial emotional expressions of 22 BPD
female adolescents versus 22 matched controls. Participants had to identify as
rapidly as possible the various emotions displayed progressively and
continuously on faces. Results indicate that adolescents with BPD are less
sensitive to facial expressions of anger and happiness, i.e. they require more
intense facial expressions than control participants to correctly identify these
two emotions. However, they did not exhibit any deficit in recognizing fully
expressed emotions. These results suggest that sensitivity to facial emotions is
impaired in adolescents with BPD. Theoretical and clinical implications are
discussed.

Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2012.03.032
PMID: 22480898 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

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