While increasing research is reporting a higher presence of autistic traits (AT) in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and BPD have been associated in literature with a vulnerability to trauma and eating disorders.

The present study aimed at evaluating trauma-related symptoms and eating disorder symptoms in BPD patients with or without significant AT.

A sample of 73 BPD patients was assessed with the adult autism subthreshold (AdAS) Spectrum, trauma and loss spectrum-self report (TALS-SR), and EDI-2 questionnaires.

The findings revealed that BPD patients with autistic traits (BPD-AT) scored significantly higher on the eating disorder inventory (EDI-2) and trauma and loss scale (TALS-SR) compared to those without AT. Moreover, while both AdAS Spectrum and TALS-SR scores predicted higher EDI-2 scores, a significant mediating effect of TALS-SR on the relationship between AdAS Spectrum and EDI-2 scores was reported.

These results suggest that AT may imply more severe clinical correlates in the BPD population, including an enhanced vulnerability toward psychopathological traits frequently reported in BPD patients such as eating disorders and trauma-related symptoms, stressing the need to clarify the complex interactions among these disorders and the factors that may shape specific illness trajectories.

Skin picking disorder is characterized by repetitive excoriation of one’s skin. Although skin picking disorder is associated with substance use problems, no previous research has examined the associations of alcohol use on skin picking symptomatology.

Adults with skin picking disorder (n = 182) were recruited from the general community via an online survey. Participants completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to measure alcohol use and various self-report measures to assess clinical profiles and associated characteristics. We compared variables of interest between those with hazardous alcohol use in the past year (AUDIT ≥8) compared to those with low-risk or no alcohol use in the past year. We also examined the extent to which skin picking disorder symptoms were dimensionally related to AUDIT scores while controlling for confounders.

Of the 182 adults with skin picking disorder, 62 (34.1%) met criteria for hazardous alcohol use. Hazardous drinking was associated with less frequent skin picking but higher overall picking-related severity and impairment, aggression, and rates of comorbid borderline personality disorder, gambling disorder, and compulsive sexual behavior disorder. Skin picking-related impairment predicted the degree of hazardous drinking while controlling for sex.

This study highlights the importance of screening for hazardous alcohol use in people with skin picking disorder. More research is needed to explore the relationship between aggression, hazardous alcohol use, and skin picking, as well as how treatments might best be adapted to treat individuals with this cluster of symptoms.