Coprophagia in a patient with borderline personality disorder

Background and Objectives: Human coprophagia is a rare phenomenon with severe medical and social consequences. So far, coprophagia has mainly been associated with severe mental retardation, schizophrenia, dementia, and depression. We report a case of coprophagia in a 30-year-old woman with Borderline Personality Disorder (DSM-IV). This case report illustrates the severity of symptoms and maladaptive social consequences of severe personality disorders, comparable to those of patients with schizophrenia. Pharmacological interventions and, particularly intensive psychotherapy might be effective for patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder displaying severe behavior disorders. The treatment of choice for coprophagia is aversive behavioral interventionThis study was funded in part by the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders (NARSAD), Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS) [grant number PI060092]; Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria FIS [grant number RD06/0011/0016]; ETES [grant number PI07/90207]; the Conchita Rabago Foundation, the Harriet and Esteban Vicente Foundation, the Spanish Ministry of Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CIBERSAM (Intramural Project, P91B; Rio Hortega CM08/00170 –Dr. Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla), the Alicia Koplowitz foundation, and the National Institutes of Health, USA [grant number K24MH072712