Impulsivity in major depressive and borderline personality disorder patients

Abstract

Impulsivity is the propensity to follow up on an idiosyncrasy by showing conduct described by almost no thinking ahead, reflection or thought of the outcomes. In psychology, impulsivity (or impulsiveness) is a tendency to act on a whim, displaying behavior characterized by little or no forethought, reflection, or consideration of the consequences. The present study seeks to explore the nature, intensity and extensity patterns of impulsivity in individuals diagnosed as major depression (N: 254) and borderline personality (N: 69).  The selected participants were administered Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Scale Suicide Ideation. Results show significantly high scores on certain domains of impulsivity related to non-acceptance, goals, impulsive difficulty, strategies, and clarity in patients having borderline personality problems (p: <0.001) as compared to no difference at all for awareness in both the groups. This paper brings together eminent scholars and rising researchers from various fields (developmental psychology, neuroscience, animal cognition, anthropology, addiction science) who use various techniques (behavioral assays, imaging, endocrinology, genetics) to provide a comprehensive and cohesive understanding of impulsiveness. A domain and item-wise analysis of the similarities and differences are presented between the two clinical conditions in the light of their suicidal ideation based on associated variables like gender and marital status before discussing their implications for therapy in the context of cultural factors unique to Indian settings.