A systematic review of interventions aimed at improving the cardiovascular health of people diagnosed with personality disorders

Abstract

PURPOSE: People with personality disorders have significantly reduced life expectancy and increased rates of cardiovascular disease compared to members of the general population. Given that more people die annually of cardiovascular disease across the globe than from any other cause, it is important to identify the evidence for interventions aimed at improving cardiovascular health among people with personality disorders. METHODS: Systematic literature review. PsycINFO, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched using NICE Healthcare Databases, as well as CENTRAL and trial registries. We sought to identify randomised controlled trials of interventions pertaining to adults with a primary diagnosis of personality disorder, where the primary outcome measure was cardiovascular health before and after the intervention. RESULTS: A total of 1740 records were identified and screened by two independent reviewers. No papers meeting the inclusion criteria were identified. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review did not identify any randomised controlled trials testing interventions aimed at improving the cardiovascular health of people with personality disorders. Research in this area could have important public health implications, spanning the fields of psychiatry and general medicine.