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02-03 An MRI study of pituitary volume and suicidal behaviour in adolescents with first-presentation borderline personality disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

M Jovev
Affiliation:
ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne
B Garner
Affiliation:
ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne
L Phillips
Affiliation:
School of Behavioural Science, The University of Melbourne
D Velakoulis
Affiliation:
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health
SJ Wood
Affiliation:
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health Brain Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
HJ Jackson
Affiliation:
ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne School of Behavioural Science, The University of Melbourne
C Pantelis
Affiliation:
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health
PD McGorry
Affiliation:
ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne
AM Chanen
Affiliation:
ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne
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Abstract

Type
Abstracts from ‘Brainwaves’— The Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research Annual Meeting 2006, 6–8 December, Sydney, Australia
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 Blackwell Munksgaard

There has been a lack of research examining the association between hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and suicidal behaviour in patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD), despite the established relationship between BPD and suicide. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pituitary gland volume (PGV) and number of suicidal behaviours in adolescent patients with first-presentation BPD. The main findings indicate that age, internalizing problems and number of suicidal behaviours are significant predictors of PGV in firstpresentation BPD. The larger PGV in those with a higher number of suicidal behaviours might reflect greater activation of the HPA axis by the actual act of self-harm or increased activation of the stress response by factors that also lead to suicidal behaviour, such as life events. The study points to the need to explore other suicide parameters (eg intent, medical threat) together with direct neuroendocrine measures in larger samples of patients with BPD.