Aripiprazole in a Therapy-resistant Patient with Borderline Personality and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Introduction The availability of new atypical antipsychotics provides novel opportunities for the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) [ 1 ]. Beneficial effects of aripiprazole in patients with BPD have been shown in case reports [ 2 ] and in a recent double-blind study [ 3 ]. The doses applied ranged between 10 and 25 mg/d. Aripiprazole, which is not only a partial dopamine-2 receptor agonist but also a serotonin-1A receptor agonist and a serotonin-2A receptor antagonist, is promising for the treatment of anxiety disorders as well. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an especially frequent comorbid condition in patients with BPD. Using an open design (with doses of up to 30 mg/d), the effects of aripiprazole as an augmentor in patients with diverse anxiety disorders, including PTSD, who had had an incomplete response to serotonin reuptake inhibitors, have been demonstrated [ 4 ]. A recent case series illustrates the potential of aripiprazole (up to 30 mg/d) as monotherapy for PTSD symptoms [ 5 ].