If you are in an emergency, in crisis or need someone to talk to, there is help.

View Crisis Resouces
Skip to content
  • Contact Us
  • No One Left Behind
  • Join our team
  • Referral Form
  • Virtual Urgent Care
  • Accessibility
CAMH logo
  • Patients and Families
    • Main Page
    • Access CAMH & Referral Form
      • Access CAMH

        Centralized information, intake and scheduling. Access CAMH makes it easy to find support – simply call 416-535-8501, option 2.

      • Referral Form

        For mental health services, a referral form needs to be completed by a healthcare provider. For addictions services, patient can self-refer.

    • Programs & Services
      • Addictions/Substance Use
      • Alzheimer’s & Dementia
      • Anxiety & Depression
      • Concurrent Disorders
      • Developmental Disabilities
      • Mood & Personality Disorders
      • Problem Gambling
      • Schizophrenia & Psychosis
      • Trauma & Stress Disorders
      • Virtual Mental Health and Outreach
      • Other
    • Information for Patients
      • Patient Wellness and Patient Engagement at CAMH
      • What to expect
      • Your Rights
      • Patient and Family Feedback
      • Visiting CAMH

        Planning on visiting CAMH? Find contact information, directions and accessibility for each of our three main sites.

    • Information for Families
      • Family Resource Centre
      • Patient and Family Feedback
      • Visiting CAMH

        Planning on visiting CAMH? Find contact information, directions and accessibility for each of our three main sites.

    • Patient and Family Engagement
      • Patient and Family Partners Program
      • Information and resources
      • Get Involved in Research
      • Volunteer at CAMH
    • Visiting CAMH
      • Visiting CAMH

        Planning on visiting CAMH? Find contact information, directions and accessibility for each of our three main sites.

        Read More
    • MyCAMH
  • Health Info
    • Main Page
    • Mental Illness & Addiction Index
      • Conditions & Disorders
      • Medication Therapies
      • Substance Use
      • Types of Treatment
      • Information in Other Languages
    • Mental Health 101
      • Mental Health 101

        Use this series of free online tutorials as the starting point to learn about and understand a wide range of mental health topics.

        Read More
    • Guides & Publications
      • Guides & Publications

        Accessible, reliable, professionally produced resources on an array of mental health topics for patients, families, students and professionals.

        Read More
    • Crisis Resources
      • Crisis Resources

        If you are in an emergency, in crisis or need someone to talk to, there is a list of resources available for areas in and around Toronto.

        Read More
    • CAMH Store
      • CAMH Store

        The CAMH Store offers a wide array of mental illness and addiction resources for patients, families, students and professionals. Search or browse our catalogue of brochures and booklets, textbooks, manuals and assessment tools.

        Read More
    • CAMH Library
      • CAMH Library

        Open to professionals and the general public, our comprehensive resources and services support and enhance CAMH's research and clinical programs, and they facilitate learning, dynamic knowledge exchange and health promotion initiatives.

        Read More
    • Workplace Mental Health Playbook
    • Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic
      • Coping with stress & anxiety
      • Quarantine & isolation
      • Stigma and prejudice
      • Loss, grief and healing
      • Resources for Health Care Workers
  • Research
    • Main Page
    • Research Areas at CAMH
      • Brain Science

        CAMH is revolutionizing our understanding of the brain and the causes, biomarkers and treatments of mental illness.

      • Personalized Care

        By understanding diverse groups, we prevent, diagnose and care for each one with greater precision and personalization.

      • Prevention and Policy

        Using evidence, we drive system and social change to optimize care and reduce the burden of mental illness, including addictions, across populations.

    • The Discovery Fund
      • The Discovery Fund

        Fuelling the next generation of groundbreaking research and innovation dedicated to finding the causes of and cures for mental illness.

        Read More
    • Institutes & Centres
      • Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre
      • Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry
      • Brain Health Imaging Centre
      • Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute
      • Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder
      • Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression
      • Institute for Mental Health Policy Research
      • Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics
      • Slaight Family Centre for Youth in Transition
      • Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics
      • Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention
      • The Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child Youth & Family Mental Health
    • Clinical Divisions
      • Addictions Division
      • Adult Neurodevelopmental and Geriatric Psychiatry Division
      • Child and Youth Psychiatry Division
      • Forensic Psychiatry Division
      • General and Health Systems Psychiatry Division
      • Psychology Division
      • Schizophrenia Division
    • Research Discoveries
      • Research Discoveries

        At the leading edge of breakthrough mental health and addiction research for over 50 years.

      • BrainBuzz Newsletter

        The latest news, groundbreaking discoveries and special features about CAMH research, studies, and the people behind the work.

      • Research Strategic Plan

        Learn what drives our research agenda and priorities in the CAMH Research Plan for 2018-2023

    • Research Connect
      • Research Connect FAQs
      • Research Ethics
    • Koerner Centre for Research Training
      • Koerner Centre for Research Training

        Each year CAMH provides opportunities to the next generation of scientists: today’s undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. Train in a unique learning environment and help contribute to the breakthrough mental health research and treatments of tomorrow

        Read More
    • Science & Research Staff Directory
      • Our Scientific Staff
      • Research Chairs at CAMH
    • Industry Partnerships & Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO)
  • Education
    • Main Page
    • Continuing Education Programs and Courses
      • Find the Course That's Right for You

        Browse our entire selection of certificate programs, webinars and workshops.

      • Workplace Education and Consulting Services

        View our full list of workplace mental health workshops and consulting services

    • Collaborative Learning College
    • Simulation Centre
    • TIDES
    • Student Centre
    • Clinical & Research Opportunities for Professionals in Training
      • Clinical Psychology Training Programs
      • Community-Based Research Fellowship
      • Graduate & Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Public Health Policy
      • Clinical & Research Opportunities for Professionals in Training

        Study in a world-class setting to become a leader in the field of mental health.

    • Research in Education
      • Academic & Education Research Excellence
      • Health Equity and Inclusion Framework for Education and Training
    • Evaluation
    • Workplace Mental Health Workshops and Consulting
    • CAMH Education Contacts
  • Professionals
    • Main Page
    • Treating Conditions & Disorders
      • NAVIGATE - Treating Psychosis in Youth
      • CARIBOU - Treating depression in youth
      • Virtual Mental Health
      • Alcohol Use
      • Anxiety Disorders
      • Dementia
      • Depression
      • Suicide Risk
      • Fundamentals of Addiction
      • Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
      • Mania
      • OCD
      • Opioid use and opioid use disorder
      • Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders
      • Personality Disorders
      • Psychosis
      • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
      • Smoking Cessation
    • Professionals Projects
      • Climate Change and Mental Health
      • Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities
      • Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health Project
      • Opioid Use in Primary Care Conference 2024
    • Networks
      • Psychiatry Partnerships with Northern Communities
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
  • Get Involved
    • Main Page
    • Ways to Donate
      • Give Monthly
      • Give In Memory or In Honour
      • Start a Fundraiser
      • Gifts of Celebration
      • Leave a Gift in Your Will
      • Employee Giving
      • Donate Goods & Services
      • Gifts of Securities
      • Canvassers & Callers
      • Make a one-time donation

        With your support, CAMH researchers are revolutionizing the ways we diagnose, treat, and prevent mental illness. Donate today.

    • Join the Cause
      • Corporate Partnerships
      • Business Leaders for Mental Health
      • CAMH Engage
      • womenmind
      • Visionary Society
      • Michael Wilson Society
      • Volunteer at CAMH
    • Making a Real Impact
      • Making a Real Impact

        Real stories of courage, hope and discovery. Made possible through your continued support of CAMH.

        Read More
  • Driving Change
    • Main Page
    • About CAMH
      • Leadership Team Directory
      • Performance & Accountability
      • The Role of CAMH Foundation
      • For Reporters
      • Events Calendar
      • For Our Neighbours
      • Contact CAMH
      • Careers at CAMH

        By working at CAMH, you can help people affected by mental illness and support their recovery. Join the team. Everyone who works at CAMH becomes an advocate for mental health.

    • The Crisis is Real
      • The Crisis is Real

        We are in the grips of a crisis that ruins health, threatens lives and hurts economies. Knowing the facts is the first step in creating hope.

      • Mental Health Statistics

        The latest facts and statistics on mental illness and addiction, who's affected and their impact on Canadians.

    • Addressing Stigma
      • Addressing Stigma

        Challenging the stigma associated with mental illness takes understanding, education and a closer look at our own attitudes toward health.

        Read More
    • The Mental Health Facility of the Future
      • The Mental Health Facility of the Future

        Turning what was once a walled institution into a symbol of hope for the future of mental health care.

      • Vision & Guiding Principles

        How do you replace an institution with an urban village? Lots of planning, imagination and a long-term commitment to serving patients, staff and the community.

      • History of Queen Street Site

        Our history—evolving from an asylum into a modern health facility with patients at the centre of care—is the history of mental health care in Canada.

    • Influencing Public Policy
      • Influencing Public Policy

        CAMH advocates for policies that are responsive to the needs of people with mental illness and addictions.

        Read More
    • Health Equity
      • Health Equity

        CAMH believes in the principle of equity. We respect the diversity of the individuals and communities we serve.

        Read More
    • Shkaabe Makwa
    • CAMH News & Stories
    • Strategic Plan
    • Contact Us
    • No One Left Behind
    • Join our team
    • Referral Form
    • Virtual Urgent Care
    • Accessibility

Personality Disorders: Resources & References

CAMH Logo
  • Personality Disorders: Resources & References
Back to top
  • Home
  • Professionals
  • Treating Conditions & Disorders
  • Personality Disorders
  • Resources & References
CAMH logo
  • Personality Disorders
  • Screening
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatment
  • Resources & References
Back to top

Text adapted from: "The adult patient with a personality disorder," in Psychiatry in primary care   by Michael Rosenbluth, Matthew Boyle & Lucille Schiffman (CAMH, 2019).

Resources

For primary care practitioners

Help Guide : Access information and self-help strategies for people with BPD, as well as information for families.
 

National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder  Information for clinicians and people with BPD, includes a free video series for professionals.

I Hate You—Don’t Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality, by Jerold J. Kreisman and Hal Straus, TarcherPerigee, 2010.

Loving Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder: How to Keep Out-of-Control Emotions from Destroying Your Relationship, by Shari Y. Manning, Guilford Press, 2011.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Baldessarini, R.J., Tondo, L. & Davis, P. (2006). Decreased risk of suicides and attempts during long-term lithium treatment: A meta-analytic review. Bipolar Disorders, 8, 625–639.

Biskin, R. (2015). The lifetime course of BPD. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 60, 303–308.

Black, D.W., Zanarini, M.C., Romine, A., Shaw, A., Allen, J. & Schulz, S.C. (2014). Comparison of low and moderate dosages of extended release quetiapine in borderline personality disorder: A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 1174–1182.

Bozzatello, P., Brignolo, E., Grandi, E.D. & Bellino, S. (2016). Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids in psychiatric disorders: A review of literature data. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 5, 67.

Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. (2017). Aripiprazole for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Review of the Clinical Effectiveness. Ottawa, ON: Author.

Cipriani, A., Pretty, H., Hawton, K. & Geddes, J.R. (2005). Lithium in the prevention of suicidal behavior and all-cause mortality in patients with mood disorders: A systematic review of randomized trials. American Jour- nal of Psychiatry, 162, 1805–1819.

Cowdry, R.W. (1992). Psychobiology and psychopharmacology of borderline personality disorder. In D. Silver & M.B. Rosenbluth (Eds.), Handbook of Borderline Disorders (pp. 495–509). Madison, CT: International Universities Press. Crawford, M., Sanatini, R., Barnett, B., Cunningham, G., Dale, O., Ganguli,

P LABILE Study Team. (2018). The clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of lamotrigine in borderline personality disorder: A randomized clinical study. American Journal of Psychiatry 175, 756–764.

Frances, A. (2005). Personality disorders. In K.R.R. Krishnan (Ed.), Educational Review Manual in Psychiatry (pp.1–34). New York, NY: Castle Connolly Graduate Medical Publishing.

Gunderson, J. G. & Choi-Kain, L.W. (2018). Medication management for patients with borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175, 709–711.

Gunderson, J.G., Stout, R.L., Shea, M.T., Grilo, C.M., Markowitz, J.C., Morey, L.C. & Skodol, A.E. (2014). Interactions of borderline personality disorder and mood disorders over 10 years. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 75, 829–834.

Gunderson, J.G., Weinberg, I., Daversa, M., Kueppenbender, K.D., Zanarini, M.C., Shea, T Dyck, I. (2006). Descriptive and longitudinal observations on the relationship of borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 1173–1178.

Gutheil, T.G. & Alexander, V. (1992). Medicolegal issues between the Borderline patient and the therapist. In D. Silver & M.B. Rosenbluth (Eds.), Handbook of Borderline Disorders (pp. 335–389). Madison, CT: International Universities Press.

Herpertz, S.C., Zanarini, M., Schulz, C.S., Siever, L., Lieb, K., Möller, H. & WFSBP Task Force on Personality Disorders. (2007). World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) guidelines for biological treatment of personality disorders. World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 8, 212–244.

Kaess, M., Brunner, R. & Chanen, A. (2014). Borderline personality disorder in adolescence. Pediatrics, 134, 782–793.

Kool, S., Schoevers, R., de Maat, S., Van, R., Molenaar, P., Vink, A. & Dekker, J. (2005). Efficacy of pharmacotherapy in depressed patients with and with- out personality disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 88, 269–278.

Linehan, M.M. (1992). Behaviour therapy, dialectics and the treatment of borderline personality disorder. In D. Silver & M.B. Rosenbluth (Eds.), Handbook of Borderline Disorders (pp. 389–415). Madison, CT: International Universities Press.

Mulder, R.T. (2002). Personality pathology and treatment outcome in major depression: A review. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 359–371.

Ripoll, L.H. (2012). Clinical psychopharmacology of borderline personality disorder. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 25, 52–58.

Ripoll, L.H. (2013). Neuroimaging and borderline personality disorder. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 15, 213–224.

Rosenbluth, M., MacQueen, G., McIntyre, R.S., Beaulieu, S. & Schaffer, A. (2012). The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) task force recommendations for the management of patients with mood disorders and comorbid personality disorders. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 24, 56–68.

Roy, A.K., Lopes, V. & Klein, R.G. (2014). Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder: A new diagnostic approach to chronic irritability in youth. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 918–924.

Stoffers, J.M. & Lieb, K. (2015). Pharmacotherapy for borderline personality disorder: Current evidence and recent trends. Current Psychiatry Reports, 17, 534.

Wasylyshen, A. & Williams, A.M. (2016). Second-generation antipsychotic use in borderline personality disorder: What are we targeting? Mental Health Clinician, 6, 82–88.

Yashimatsu, K. & Palmer, B. (2014). Depression in patients with borderline personality disorder. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 22, 266–273

Zanarini, M.C., Frankenburg, F.R., Dubo, E.D., Sichel, A.E., Trikha, A., Levin, A. & Reynolds, V. (1998). Axis I comorbidity of borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 1733–1739.

Zanarini, M.C., Frankenburg, F.R., Hennen, J., Reich, D.B. & Silk, K. (2004). Axis I comorbidity in patients with borderline personality disorder: 6-year follow-up and prediction of time to remission. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 2108–2114.


About the Authors 

Michael Rosenbluth, MD, FRCPC,Chief, Department of Psychiatry, Michael Garron Hospital / Toronto East Health Network; associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

Matthew Boyle, BSc, MD, FRCPC Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto; staff psychiatrist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON 

Lucille Schiffman, DO candidate, Department of Medicine, Touro University California, Vallejo, CA 

Related

  • Psychiatry in Primary Care: A Concise Canadian Pocket Guide 2019

    Read More

  • Borderline Personality Disorder: Resources for Your Patients

    Read More

  • Borderline personality disorder: An information guide for families

    Read More

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: An information guide for families

    Read More

Self-harm and suicide

Follow us
  • Patient and Family Care
  • Health Info
  • Science and Research
  • Education
  • Professionals
  • Get Involved
  • Driving Change
  • About CAMH
  • Job Openings
  • Purchase Publications
  • Referral Form
  • For Reporters
  • Donor Services
  • Events

CAMH Switchboard

From the GTA: 416 535-8501


Toll-free: 1 800 463-2338

To Access CAMH Clinical Services

416 535-8501, press 2

We have multiple locations. Find directions.

Map of CAMH's Queen Street Site
  • Staff Tools

Copyright 2025 CAMH

  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map

Keep in touch with CAMH

Keep your finger on our pulse – latest CAMH news, discoveries and ways to get involved delivered to your inbox.

Please select a newsletter

Please complete the following:

    Required Fields

    Please select a newsletter option

    Please input a first name

    Please input a last name

    Please input an email address

    By clicking Sign Up below, I consent to receive electronic communications (as selected above) from CAMH and CAMH Foundation. To unsubscribe at any time click the link in our mailing or email: unsubscribe@camh.ca

    Please agree to the Terms of Use

     

    Thanks for Subscribing.

    We look forward to keeping you informed, inspired and involved in all things CAMH.

    Help us change mental health care forever.

    Every donation moves us closer to a future where no one is left behind.

    $
    Other Ways to Give