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Open research questions in Personality Disorders and Psychopathology

538 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 4,385 Personality Disorders and Psychopathology papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of mechanisms of change in psychotherapy. The paper suggests that prior work has often competed for theoretical territory, inadvertently holding back progress. The paper proposes that metacognition and mentalising can be used to bridge traditions that have often competed for theoretical territory.

    Metacognition and mentalising as core mechanisms of psychotherapy · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the challenge of selection bias due to the screening and enrolment process. It highlights the challenge of limited information about the prescreening phase of trials, which may offer important insights about the generalisability of trials. The paper also identifies the challenge of high drop-out rates during the study period, which may be even higher if all eligible patients referred to the clinics were included.

    External validity of randomised clinical trials in psychiatry: borderline personality disorder as an example · 2026 · DOI

  • limited information about the prescreening phase of trials, - limited knowledge about whether the evidence-based interventions for borderline personality disorder are effective for unrepresented patient groups, - high drop-out rates during the study period

    External validity of randomised clinical trials in psychiatry: borderline personality disorder as an example · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research is needed to facilitate the uptake and implementation of the ICD-11 classification of personality disorder by clinicians and health systems

    ICD-11 classification of personality disorder: there is no other way forward · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a unified diagnostic system for personality disorder. The need for harmonization between the ICD-11 and DSM-6 classifications. The paper identifies the need for a global standard for personality disorder diagnosis.

    ICD-11 classification of personality disorder: there is no other way forward · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study on the inclusion of MI in diagnostic classification systems, - Investigation into the dimensional or spectrum approach to conceptualizing MI

    Moral Injury in the DSM-5-TR: Syndrome Spectrum vs. Categorical Disorder · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the current understanding and classification of moral injury as a distinct diagnostic entity. There is a need to address the concerns and challenges surrounding the inclusion of moral injury in the DSM-5-TR and other diagnostic systems. The authors highlight the importance of conceptualizing moral injury in a way that is distinct from other mental disorders.

    Moral Injury in the DSM-5-TR: Syndrome Spectrum vs. Categorical Disorder · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faced challenges in recruiting participants and ensuring their honest responses. The use of self-report measures may be subject to biases and limitations. The study's findings may be limited by the sample's demographic characteristics and the study's cross-sectional design.

    Relationships between primal emotional systems and the sense of loneliness: The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas · 2026 · DOI

  • examining the relationships between emotional systems and loneliness in different populations, - investigating the role of other factors in mediating the relationships between primal emotional systems and loneliness

    Relationships between primal emotional systems and the sense of loneliness: The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the cerebellum's role in mentalizing and social functioning. It notes that prior work has focused on cortical regions, neglecting the cerebellum's potential contribution.

    Contributions of the posterior cerebellum to mentalizing and social functioning: A transdiagnostic investigation · 2025 · DOI

  • The limitations of electronic health record data. The complexity of psychiatric diagnoses and comorbidity. The need for large, representative clinical datasets to test the HiTOP structure.

    The broad structure of psychopathology in the All of Us Research Program · 2025 · DOI

  • The lack of large, representative clinical datasets to test the HiTOP structure. The need for alternative frameworks to traditional categorical nosologies. The limitations of traditional categorical nosologies in understanding mental disorders.

    The broad structure of psychopathology in the All of Us Research Program · 2025 · DOI

  • Further research is needed to understand the developmental trajectory of BPD - Studies should investigate the effects of drug treatment on brain structure in BPD - Research should examine the relationship between grey matter volume reduction in the left TPJ and clinical symptoms of BPD

    Early structural brain abnormalities in borderline personality disorder · 2025 · DOI

  • Prior studies have identified structural brain abnormalities in individuals with BPD, but with considerable variability. There is a need to examine adolescent patients with BPD to reduce potential confounding effects. The study aims to address the gap in understanding the neural basis of BPD in adolescents.

    Early structural brain abnormalities in borderline personality disorder · 2025 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in knowledge regarding the long-term effects of different therapy dosages. There is a need to investigate the long-term outcomes of psychotherapy in depressed patients with personality disorders. The study aims to address this gap by comparing the effectiveness of different therapy dosages.

    Long-term dosage effects of psychodynamic and schema therapy in depressed patients with personality disorders: 18 and 24 months follow-up of a randomized controlled trial · 2025 · DOI

  • Engaging individuals with ASPD in therapy and preventing drop-out. Managing negative countertransference reactions in clinicians. Differentiating between psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder. Addressing the lack of evidence-based treatment for ASPD.

    Antisocial personality disorder and therapeutic pessimism – how can mentalization-based treatment contribute to an increased therapeutic optimism among health professionals? · 2024 · DOI

  • Investigate how MBT-ASPD relates to the major obstacles that contribute to the therapeutic pessimism toward this group

    Antisocial personality disorder and therapeutic pessimism – how can mentalization-based treatment contribute to an increased therapeutic optimism among health professionals? · 2024 · DOI

  • The capability of the DSM Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure to screen for mental disorders in a population-based sample is unknown. The impact of adverbial framings on its performance is also unknown.

    How much or how often? Examining the screening properties of the DSM cross-cutting symptom measure in a youth population-based sample · 2024 · DOI

  • Investigating the long-term effects of using the AMPD, - Comparing the AMPD with other models of personality disorder, - Examining the use of the AMPD in different clinical settings

    Personality disorder coverage, prevalence, and convergence: do the DSM-5's two models of personality disorder identify the same patients? · 2024 · DOI

  • Further studies are needed to replicate these findings in larger and more diverse samples, - Research should investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between the posterior cerebellum and social functioning, - Studies should examine the potential therapeutic implications of targeting the posterior cerebellum in individuals with psychiatric disorders

    Contributions of the posterior cerebellum to mentalizing and social functioning: A transdiagnostic investigation · 2025 · DOI

  • The concern about caseness has not been addressed. The convergence of the two models in terms of prevalence and coverage has not been studied.

    Personality disorder coverage, prevalence, and convergence: do the DSM-5's two models of personality disorder identify the same patients? · 2024 · DOI

  • While Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) seems to negatively affect the course of MDD, the role of subthreshold BPD symptoms remains unclear.

    Associations between borderline personality disorder symptomatology and major depressive disorder: Insights from a general population study · 2026 · DOI

  • INTRODUCTION: Adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are often diagnosed with co-occurring substance use disorders, but research regarding comorbid behavioral addictions, such as problematic usage of the internet (PUI), is sparse.

    Problematic usage of the internet and borderline personality disorder: A survey study in the United States · 2026 · DOI

  • Background Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is common in individuals with anxiety and mood disorders (AMD), yet its specific impact on cognitive functioning remains underexplored.

    A comparison of cognitive performance of individuals with anxiety and mood disorders with and without obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: A pilot study · 2026 · DOI

  • The literature suggests that second-generation antipsychotics may exert moderate effects on specific symptoms, but data remain limited and head-to-head comparisons are lacking.

    Low-Dose Clozapine Versus Aripiprazole in Borderline Personality Disorder · 2026 · DOI

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538 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 4,385 Personality Disorders and Psychopathology papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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