Self‐mutilation in female remanded prisoners II: A cluster analytic approach towards identification of a behavioural syndrome

Abstract

Cluster analysis of phenomenological variables and the associated symptom profile of self‐mutilation in 74 female prisoners identified a subgroup with a disorder of mood who injured themselves as a symptom‐relieving mechanism and received a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Marked differences were found between the women in this cluster in the form of their behaviour and on a range of different variables compared with a second, more heterogeneous, cluster who had injured themselves as a reaction to life‐events, psychotic illness, or in a suicide attempt. The relevance of a symptom‐relieving mechanism to research into self‐mutilation and BPD is discussed. It is proposed that future research should concentrate on the ‘affective instability’ component of BPD and the affective symptoms reported by subjects with this diagnosis prior to impulsive behaviours such as self‐mutilation.