Venlafaxine in the treatment of borderline personality disorder.

A number of studies have indicated that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective in reducing the symptomatology accompanying borderline personality disorder (BPD). The SSRIs have proven efficacious in reducing self-injury, suicidality, affective instability, rage, impulsivity, psychosis, and obsessionality. Fluoxetine and sertraline have been shown to be effective in clinical trials, although no single SSRI has emerged as the treatment of choice. Individuals failing one SSRI often respond to another. The data presented in this article indicate that venlafaxine is effective in treating borderline personality disorder (BPD) as an initial intervention and may benefit many individuals for whom fluoxetine or sertraline treatment has failed.