Which Borderline Patients in Residential Treatment Will Run Away?

Abstract

This paper reports on a series of hospital ward social adjustment items, administered shortly after admission to adolescent borderline patients. These items predict-with a high degree of statistical significance-which patients will run away from the hospital. These social adjustment items also predict which patients will terminate treatment by leaving the hospital against advice. It is hypothesized that these social adjustment items serve as an index which identifies two contrasting subgroups within the heterogeneous borderline personality disorders; those who are action-prone, peer-dependent and antisocial as compared with those who are schizoid, depressed and socially awkward and withdrawn.