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Introduction: Suicide attempts (SA) leading to highly lethal consequences have been associated with heightened suicide planning (Barker et al., 2022), along with deficits in social cognition (Levi-Belz et al., 2022). Hypomentalizing, characterized by excessive uncertainty regarding mental states, may contribute to heightened social withdrawal and an increased risk of SA (Nestor & Sutherland, 2022). Although certain studies have identified a connection between hypomentalizing profiles and self-harm (Badoud et al., 2015), research into the lethality of SA remains limited. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the association between hypomentalizing and SA lethality. Methods: Our study encompassed a cohort of 1,371 patients who committed a SA. We conducted assessments of mentalizing using the RFQ-8 instrument, and evaluations of suicidal ideation and behavior employing the CSRSS questionnaire. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared using the T-student and Chi-square tests. To investigate the relationship between hypomentalizing and the SA lethality, we employed logistic regression models. Results: Descriptive date are presented in Table 1. Our results show that hypomentalizing do not predict a higher SA lethality. Additionally, hypomentalizing increased the risk of SA planning (p≤0.001, B=-0.182), and SA planning predicted a higher SA lethality (see Table 2). Table 1. Means Comparison for low and high lethality (N=1371) Low lethality N=539 High lethality N=832 p value Effect size Age, mean (SD) 38.65 (15.65) 41.91 (15.37) ≤0.001 -0.209a Female sex, N (%) 392 (72.7) 571 (68.6) 0.116 0.044b Educational years, mean (SD) 12.45 (2.99) 12.43 (3.41) 0.890 0.0076a Employed, N (%) 220 (41.2) 332 (40) 0.692 0.012b Suicide Ideation, N (%) 475 (88.1) 742 (89.2) 0.541 0.016b Suicide Planning, N (%) 159 (39.2) 400 (58.1) ≤0.001 0.183b Number of attempts, mean (SD) 3.28 (5.48) 3.63 (5.74) 0.269 -0.169a RFQ, mean (SD) 4.68 (1.27) 4.56 (1.32) 0.087 0.095a Table 2. Logistic regression analyses for high SA lethality (N=1371). Univariate analysis Multivariate analysis OR p value OR p value Age 1.014 (1.007-1.021) ≤0.001 1.014 (1.005-1.022) 0.001 Female sex 0.820 (0.646-1.042) 0.105 Educational years 0.998 (0.965-1.031) 0.890 Employed 0.952 (0.763-1.187) 0.660 Suicide ideation 1.111 (0.790-1.562) 0.545 Suicide planning 2.150 (1.674-2.761) ≤0.001 2.183 (1.697-2.808) ≤0.001 Number SA 1.012 (0.990-1.034) 0.277 RFQ 0.929 (0.854-1.011) 0.088 Conclusions: While the association between hypomentalizing and high SA lethality was not significant, a discernible trend toward such relationship can be noted. Further studies examining the moderating effects of planning in the association between hypomentalizing and SA lethality are required. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the most relevant risk factors for suicide is the presence of previous attempts. The symptomatic profile of people who reattempt suicide deserves attention. Network analysis is a promising tool to study this field., Objective: To analyze the symptomatic network of patients who have attempted suicide recently and compare networks of people with several attempts and people with just one at baseline., Methods: 1043 adult participants from the Spanish cohort "SURVIVE" were part of this study. Participants were classified into two groups: single attempt group (n = 390) and reattempt group (n = 653). Different network analyses were carried out to study the relationships between suicidal ideation, behavior, psychiatric symptoms, diagnoses, childhood trauma, and impulsivity. A general network and one for each subgroup were estimated., Results: People with several suicide attempts at baseline scored significantly higher across all clinical scales. The symptomatic networks were equivalent in both groups of patients (p > .05). Although there were no overall differences between the networks, some nodes were more relevant according to group belonging., Conclusions: People with a history of previous attempts have greater psychiatric symptom severity but the relationships between risk factors show the same structure when compared with the single attempt group. All risk factors deserve attention regardless of the number of attempts, but assessments can be adjusted to better monitor the occurrence of reattempts.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the interrelationship of risk factors for suicidal behaviour and their influence on attempt severity in a sample of adolescents who have recently attempted suicide. For it a network analyse was performed., Method: Data from a sample of adolescents from 12 to 17 years of age with documented suicide attempts were collected and analysed in the context of a larger study conducted in Spain called SURVIVE. Several factors were examined including age, sex, depression, trauma, impulsivity, and substance abuse. Graph analysis was performed to identify relationships and centrality measures among these factors., Results: A total of 267 participants were enrolled: 233 females and 34 males with a mean age of 15.00 years (SD = 1.52). The results indicate that age and sex do not have a notable relationship with attempt severity in adolescents. Emotional and behavioural difficulties, measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), have the greatest influence on other variables. Depression and childhood trauma show varying degrees of association with suicidal behaviour, as does motor impulsivity. Substance use does not appear to be strongly related to suicide attempt severity. The number of suicide attempts is strongly correlated with emotional and behavioural difficulties, depression, and childhood trauma. Lethality of suicide attempts and intensity of suicidal ideation do not show significant associations with the other variables., Conclusion: This study identifies significant risk factors for adolescent suicide. Emotional and behavioural symptoms, depression, and childhood trauma are strongly linked to suicidal behaviour. However, age, sex, and substance abuse show minimal correlation. Assessing emotional difficulties and depressive symptoms using specific questionnaires could be crucial in evaluating suicidal behaviour in adolescents., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: Pilar A. Saiz has been a consultant to and/or has received honoraria or grants from Adamed, Alter Medica, Angelini Pharma, CIBERSAM, Ethypharm Digital Therapy, European Commission, Government of the Principality of Asturias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Johnson & Johnson, Lundbeck, Otsuka, Pfizer, Plan Nacional Sobre Drogas, Rovi, Servier and Viatris España. Luis Jiménez Treviño has been a consultant to and/or has received honoraria or grants from Adamed, Alter Medica, Angelini Pharma, Cassen-Recordati, CIBERSAM, Eli Lilly, European Commission, Government of the Principality of Asturias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Johnson & Johnson, Lundbeck, Otsuka, Pfizer, and Servier outside the submitted work. Jennifer Fernandez-Fernandez has been a consultant to and/or has received honoraria or grants from Otsuka. Iria Grande has received grants and served as a consultant, advisor, or CME speaker for the following identities: Adamed, Angelini, Casen Recordati, Esteve, Ferrer, Gedeon Richter, Janssen-Cilag, Lundbeck, Lundbeck-Otsuka, Luye, SEI Healthcare, and Viatris outside the submitted work. She also receives royalties from Oxford University Press, Elsevier, and Editorial Médica Panamericana. Ethical approval: The current proposal complies with the national (code of ethics of the national board of medicine) and international (Declaration of Helsinki, Fortaleza, Brasil, Octubre 2013) guidelines, and with the national regulations: Ley 14/2007, 3rd of July of Investigación Biomédica, and Ley Orgánica 3/2018, 5th of December, regarding Protección de Datos Personales y Garantía de Derechos Digitales. Data protection will be assured following EU regulations (General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 and the Council of 27 April 2016). Individuals who attempted suicide will be screed by a psychiatrist at the emergency ward. After discharge, the participant will be asked verbally, whether he/she consents to be called by a study team member to inform he/she about the study. If the patient consents, a study team member will contact the patient within the first 24 h to explain the study aims, and to arrange an appointment. Participants who agreed will be given the Patient Information Sheet and Informed Consent. Participation will be voluntarily, and participants will be allowed to abandon the study at any time. The same procedure will be conducted to recruit the youth sample. The adolescent’s consent will also be obtained through the provision of age-appropriate information. Adolescents will be included in the study only if consent from both (the adolescent and his/her legal representative) is obtained. The project was evaluated at the Ethical Committees of each one of the participating sites., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Suicidal behavior constitutes a multi-cause phenomenon that may also be present in people without a mental disorder. This study aims to analyze suicidal behavior outcomes in a sample of attempters, from a symptom-based approach., Methods: The sample comprised 673 patients (72% female; M  = 40.9 years) who attended a hospital emergency department due to a suicide attempt. A wide range of clinical factors (e.g., psychopathology symptoms, psychiatric diagnoses, impulsivity, acquired capability), was administered within 15 days after the index attempt. Nine psychopathology domains were explored to identify the profile of symptoms, using latent profile analysis. The relationship between the profile membership and suicide outcome (i.e., intensity of suicidal ideation, number of suicide behaviors, and medical injury derived from index attempt) was also studied, using linear and logistic regression., Results: Three psychopathology profiles were identified: high-symptom profile (45.02% of participants), moderate-symptom profile (42.50%), and low-symptom profile (12.48%). High-symptom profile members were more likely to show higher risk of non-suicidal self-injury, acquired capability for suicide, and more severe suicide behavior and ideation. On the other hand, a more severe physical injury was associated with low-symptom profile membership in comparison to membership from the other profiles ( OR  < 0.45, p  < .05)., Conclusions: A symptom-based approach may be useful to monitor patients and determine the risk of attempt repetition in the future and potential medical injury, and to optimize prevention and intervention strategies.

Introduction: The feeling of emptiness is a complex subjective experience considered relevant in the suicidal process, acting as a risk factor for suicide ideation, attempts and even reattempts. However, empirical studies are still scarce., Objectives: This study has three objectives: to compare emptiness levels in healthy people and those with suicide attempts; to compare the emptiness level between people with a single suicide attempt and multiple suicide attempts at baseline; and to study emptiness as a risk factor for the appearance of new suicidal attempts after an index one., Methodology: In the study, 382 healthy controls and 58 participants with a recent suicide attempt (in the past 15 days) participated. All completed the feeling of emptiness scale (FES). Information was also collected on sociodemographic characteristics and history of suicide attempts. First, the control sample scores were compared with those of the clinical sample. Later, the single attempt and reattempt groups (any amount greater than one attempt at baseline) were compared. Finally, the clinical sample was followed for 1 year and 3 months (through clinical records). Survival analysis was performed., Results: The clinical group obtained higher scores across the FES subscales, even when controlling for other relevant variables (p < 0.01). When comparing people with one versus several attempts, differences were also observed in all subscales except one, the reattempt group getting higher scores (p < 0.05). Regarding the survival analysis, the feeling of emptiness was significantly associated with the risk of reattempt (HR = 1.04; p < 0.05). All people who reattempted during follow-up belonged to the reattempt group at baseline., Conclusions: People who have attempted suicide present higher emptiness scores. Furthermore, emptiness appears to significantly predict the occurrence of new attempts at follow-up. The feeling of emptiness may be associated with the lack of vital meaning and disconnection from others, fundamental aspects of the ideation-to-action suicide models. Including emptiness in suicide assessments could increase clinicians' predictive ability., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Suicide is one of the main external causes of death worldwide. People who have already attempted suicide are at high risk of new suicidal behavior. However, there is a lack of information on the risk factors that facilitate the appearance of reattempts. The aim of this study was to calculate the risk of suicide reattempt in the presence of suicidal history and psychosocial risk factors and to estimate the effect of each individual risk factor., Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the PRISMA-2020 guidelines. Studies on suicide reattempt that measured risk factors were searched from inception to 2022. The risk factors studied were those directly related to suicide history: history of suicide prior to the index attempt, and those that mediate the transition from suicidal ideation to attempt (alcohol or drug misuse, impulsivity, trauma, and non-suicidal self-injury)., Results: The initial search resulted in 11 905 articles. Of these, 34 articles were selected for this meta-analysis, jointly presenting 52 different effect sizes. The pooled effect size across the risk factors was significant (OR 2.16). Reattempt risk may be increased in presence of any of the following risk factors: previous history, active suicidal ideation, trauma, alcohol misuse, and drug misuse. However, impulsivity, and non-suicidal self-injury did not show a significant effect on reattempt., Conclusion: Most of the risk factors traditionally associated with suicide are also relevant when talking about suicide reattempts. Knowing the traits that define reattempters can help develop better preventive and intervention plans.

Interpersonal difficulties in borderline personality disorder (BDP) have been suggested to be related to impairments in Social Cognition (SC), mainly due to deficits in Theory of Mind (ToM). However, literature is scarce and ambiguous. This work aims to study the SC impairments in BPD patients, by the specific assessment of ToM deficits, and to investigate the relationship between these SC impairments and clinical variables. 82 BPD patients with BPD and 47 control subjects were assessed with the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC). Clinical variables of severity, chronicity, functionality and anxious-depressive symptomatology were recorded. BPD patients had fewer correct mentalization responses and more overmentalization, undermentalization, and absence of mentalization errors than controls. Chronicity was negatively correlated with overmentalization and positively correlated with undermentalization and absence of mentalization errors. Functionality was indirectly correlated with absence of mentalization. These results confirm previous reports of alterations in SC in BPD patients. Furthermore, this study shows that SC impairments in patients with BPD are dependent on characteristics such as chronicity or degree of functionality. The different ToM profiles in patients with BPD indicate the necessity of developing variants of mentalization therapy depending on the deficits of each patient., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jose L. Carrasco reports financial support provided by Carlos III Health Institute. Alejandra Galvez-Merlin reports a relationship with Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine that includes predoctoral grant. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: This work aims to demonstrate, through the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) responses, an altered emotional pattern in borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients and to find a specific emotional response pattern by understanding their relationship with traumatic experiences and attachment bonds towards their primary caregivers., Method: A total of 50 BPD patients and 39 control patients were evaluated using the IAPS, and its assessment was carried out through the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM). Paternal and maternal attachment bonds as well as traumatic experiences in BPD patients were evaluated. Statistical associations were analysed in the different variables., Results: Significant differences between BPD and control patients were found in all emotional response components for pleasant, unpleasant and neutral images (p < .01), with one exception, the arousal in pleasant images. Patients' experience of traumatic experiences was positively related to scores on the happiness component of pleasant imagery (p = .057) and on the arousal component of unpleasant imagery (p = .058). Poorer maternal bonding in BPD patients was significantly related to lower scores on happiness (p < .01) and dominance (p < .05) components of pleasant imagery and all emotional response components for unpleasant imagery (p < .01)., Conclusions: The results of the study confirm an impaired emotional response pattern in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), showing an emotional response to pleasant images similar to that of depression, while the pattern found to unpleasant images could be related to the complex trauma observed in these patients, which includes PTSD experiences such as sexual abuse and attachment trauma experiences., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Suicide attempts are an important predictor of completed suicide and may differ in terms of severity of medical consequences or medical lethality. There is little evidence on serious suicide attempt (SSA) and very few studies have compared SSA with non-SSA., Objective: The aim of this multisite, coordinated, cohort study was to analyze the role of clinical variables and the sociodemographic and psychological risk factors of SSA., Method: In this multisite, coordinated, cohort study, 684 participants (222 for the mild suicide attempt group, 371 for the moderate suicide attempt group and 91 for the SSA group) were included in the study. Ordinal regression models were performed to analyze the predictor variables of SSA., Results: Early physical abuse (OR=1.231) and impulsivity (OR=1.036) were predictors of SSA, while depressive symptoms were associated with a lower risk of SSA., Conclusion: Environmental and psychological factors as physical abuse and impulsivity are related with severe suicide severity. These findings will help to develop strategies to prevent suicide and may be considered for the treatment and management of suicide., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier España S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Eating disorders (ED) are severe mental disorders that may result in significant functional impairment and disability. Neuropsychological studies have consistently found impaired executive function (EF) among ED patients. EF is particularly involved in fundamental skills of daily living and in behavioral and emotional regulation. In this study, impairment of executive functioning is investigated in patients with eating disorders and the associations with clinical features and clinical subtypes are analyzed., Method: 75 female patients (m = 22.01 years, sd = 9.15) with eating disorder (43 restrictive anorexia, 30 binge-eating anorexia and 13 bulimia nervosa) and 37 healthy controls (m = 18.54 years, sd = 4.21) were included in the study. An extensive assessment of executive function domains (verbal fluency, set shifting, attention span, selective attention, working memory, inhibitory control and processing speed) was carried out in both groups. Clinical scales for food intake restriction, binge-eating/purging, depression, anxiety and impulsivity were also administered and correlated with scores on executive function tests., Results: Patients with an ED had significantly lower scores than healthy controls in performance of several executive function tests, particularly in set shifting, interference control and processing speed (p < .01, in all three domains). Executive function impairment was related to anxious, depressive and eating disorder symptoms (p < .05), regardless of clinical subtype., Conclusions: Executive function impairment in eating disorders is associated with greater ED symptomatic severity and might involve a negative treatment outcome. Therefore, cognitive remediation techniques should probably be considered in a number of severe patients with ED., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Differences in bulimic and impulsive behaviours in Eating Disorders (ED) have been associated with cortico-striatal circuit dysfunction at a neurobiological level. We sought to investigate neo-striatal volume as a biomarker in ED subgroups as well as the possible relationship with trauma history., Material and Methods: We studied 24 female patients: Anorexia Nervosa AN (n=8), Bulimia Nervosa BN (n=9), comorbid ED with borderline personality disorder (EDc; n=7), and a group of Healthy Controls (n=19). Binge eating behaviours and impulsivity scales were used to characterize our sample as well as Trauma Questionnaires and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetric manual measurements of caudate and putamen nuclei (striatum)., Results: Our preliminary results showed a significantly larger left putaminal volume in AN compared to the other three groups [C (p=0.008), BN (p<.001) and EDc (p=.001)] and a smaller right putaminal volume in EDc compared to controls (p=.045) and AN (p=.039). Some negative correlations were found between bilateral putaminal volumes and self-reported general and early traumatization scores., Conclusion: This pilot study suggested that striatal volumes might differentiate AN from BN and EDc at a neurobiological level with implications for treatment strategies. Larger scale studies should be carried out that allow replication of these data., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death worldwide, with its peak of maximum incidence in later life. Depression often puts an individual at higher risk for suicidal behaviour. In turn, depression deserves particular interest in old age due to its high prevalence and dramatic impact on health and wellbeing., Aim: To gather integrated evidence on the potential risk factors for suicide behaviour development in depressive older adults, and to examine the effects of depression treatment to tackle suicide behaviour in this population., Methods: A systematic review of empirical studies, published from 2000 onwards, was conducted. Suicidal behaviour was addressed considering its varying forms ( i.e. , wish to die, ideation, attempt, and completed suicide)., Results: Thirty-five papers were selected for review, comprising both clinical and epidemiological studies. Most of studies focused on suicidal ideation (60%). The studies consistently pointed out that the risk was related to depressive episode severity, psychiatric comorbidity (anxiety or substance use disorders), poorer health status, and loss of functionality. Reduced social support and loneliness were also associated with suicide behaviour in depressive older adults. Finally, the intervention studies showed that suicidal behaviour was a robust predictor of depression treatment response. Reductions in suicidal ideation were moderated by reductions in risk factors for suicide symptoms., Conclusion: To sum up, common and age-specific risk factors seem to be involved in suicide development in depressive older adults. A major effort should be made to tackle this serious public health concern so as to promote older people to age healthily and well., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report that they have no conflict of interest to be disclosed., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Some studies suggest that inflammatory signaling dysregulation may contribute to eating disorder (ED) pathophysiology. However, little is known about the influence of inflammatory response on altered processes seen among patients with ED, such as emotional processing and reactivity., Objectives: The objectives were: (a) to investigate the systemic inflammatory response in ED women; and (b) to analyze the role of inflammatory markers in emotional reactivity., Method: Concentrations of several intercellular and intracellular inflammatory mediators (cytokines, prostaglandin by-products and enzymes, TBARS, and MAPK proteins) were quantified in plasma and PBMCs from 68 women with an ED (m = 22.01 years, SD = 9.15) and 35 healthy controls (m = 18.54 years, SD = 4.21). Moreover, emotional reactivity to affective pictures (those without either food or thinness content) was studied using the adult (>18 years old) sample (n = 41)., Results: Between-group differences were revealed for most markers (TNF-α, PGE 2 , COX2, and ratio of activated MAPK proteins), pointing to increased inflammatory response in patients (p < .01). Women with ED showed heightened emotional reactivity, regardless of picture valence. Principal components derived from inflammatory markers showed an explanatory loading on patient's emotional reaction, in terms of valence and arousal., Conclusion: This study corroborates the altered systemic inflammatory response in patients with ED. The inflammatory dysregulation may contribute to ED phenotype, as seen by its relationship with heightened emotional reactivity, even though the inflammatory markers were not evaluated throughout the emotional reactivity protocol., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: The current multicentre randomized controlled trial assessed the clinical efficacy of a combined mHealth intervention for eating disorders (EDs) based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)., Method: A total of 106 ED patients from eight different public and private mental health services in Spain were randomly assigned to two parallel groups. Patients of the experimental group (N = 53) received standard face-to-face CBT plus a mobile intervention through an application called "TCApp," which provides self-monitoring and an online chat with the therapist. The control group (N = 53) received standard face-to-face CBT only. Patients completed self-report questionnaires on ED symptomatology, anxiety, depression, and quality of life, before and after treatment., Results: Significant reductions in primary and secondary outcomes were observed for participants of both groups, with no differences between groups. Results also suggested that the frequency with which patients attended their referral mental health institution after the intervention was lower for patients in the experimental group than for those in the control group., Discussion: The current study showed that CBT can help to reduce symptoms relating to ED, regardless of whether its delivery includes online components in addition to traditional face-to-face treatment. Besides, the additional component offered by the TCApp does not appear to be promising from a purely therapeutic perspective but perhaps as a cost-effective tool, reducing thus the costs and time burden associated with weekly visits to health professionals., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction: Differences in bulimic and impulsive behaviours in Eating Disorders (ED) have been associated with cortico-striatal circuit dysfunction at a neurobiological level. We sought to investigate neo-striatal volume as a biomarker in ED subgroups as well as the possible relationship with trauma history., Material and Methods: We studied 24 female patients: Anorexia Nervosa AN (n=8), Bulimia Nervosa BN (n=9), comorbid ED with borderline personality disorder (EDc; n=7), and a group of Healthy Controls (n=19). Binge eating behaviours and impulsivity scales were used to characterize our sample as well as Trauma Questionnaires and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) volumetric manual measurements of caudate and putamen nuclei (striatum)., Results: Our preliminary results showed a significantly larger left putaminal volume in AN compared to the other three groups [C (p=0.008), BN (p<.001) and EDc (p=.001)] and a smaller right putaminal volume in EDc compared to controls (p=.045) and AN (p=.039). Some negative correlations were found between bilateral putaminal volumes and self-reported general and early traumatization scores., Conclusion: This pilot study suggested that striatal volumes might differentiate AN from BN and EDc at a neurobiological level with implications for treatment strategies. Larger scale studies should be carried out that allow replication of these data., (Copyright © 2020. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

Traumas in childhood could present a significant association with suicidal behavior in BPD. The aim of the report is to study the link between a traumatic childhood involving school bullying and the different forms and degrees of suicidal behavior in BPD. A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 109 BPD patients. It is divided into two groups whether or not there is a history of suicidal behavior. The clinical variables are compared with Chi square and Student's T tests. Traumatic childhood history and bullying, in particular, showed a statistically significant association with the incidence of suicidal behaviors., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interest statement Each named author has substantially contributed to conducting the underlying research and drafting this manuscript. Additionally, to the best of our knowledge, the named authors have no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction: The concept of borderline syndrome is the subject of current debate because of its ambiguity and lack of homogeneity. Furthermore, the concept is rejected by many authors as a common category for atypical and non-specific disorders that cannot be classified elsewhere. The current use of the term borderline seems to be more a consequence of its historic use than its true clinical meaning. There is discrepancy on whether this term determines a level of severity, an organization of personality or a defined syndromic entity. In 1938, Stern was the first author to use the term borderline, and it was not introduced in the DSM III until 1980., Objective: This work makes a historical review of the use of the term borderline and also of those terms that have been used to define patients with the same characteristics., Conclusion: The different schools (psychoanalytic, biological, eclectic and biosocial) have different concepts on the term borderline. There is still no concise and exact definition for the diagnostic criteria of borderline and it is even possible the best term for this group of patients has still not been determined. It will be important to consider the contributions of the DSM V or ICD 11 in the next years.