Childhood trauma and functional disability in psychosis, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder: a review of the literature

Objectives.
We aimed to examine the association between childhood trauma and functional impairment in psychotic
disorders, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, to speculate on possible mechanisms that underlie this
association and discuss the implications for clinical work.
Methods.
Narrative review of the peer-reviewed English language literature in the area.
Results.
High rates of childhood trauma in psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder
were identi
fi
ed. This was associated with impaired social and occupational functioning in both the premorbid and
established phases of each of these psychiatric disorders over and above the de
fi
cits typically observed in these popula-
tions. Possible mechanisms mediating this relationship include neurocognitive de
fi
cits, insecure attachment, higher rates
of comorbidities and problems with adherence and response to treatment.
Conclusions.
Routine clinical inquiry about childhood maltreatment should be adopted within mental health settings.
This has potentially important treatment implications for identifying those individuals at elevated risk of functional
disability. While there is no clear guidance currently available on how to target childhood trauma in the treatment of
psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder, there are several promising lines of enquiry and
further research is warranted.