Mary C. Zanarini

Mary C. Zanarini (born July 25, 1946) is an American psychologist and academic. She is a professor of psychology at the Department of Psychiatry of Harvard Medical School and the creator of the McLean Study of Adult Development (MSAD) at the McLean Hospital. Much of Zanarini's work has focused on borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Early life and education Zanarini was born on July 25, 1946. In 1978, she received her Bachelor of Arts (AB) from Harvard College.

Career Zanarini's work in psychiatry began to gain prominence with her studies on the longitudinal course of borderline personality disorder (BPD). She has spent her career studying the phenomenology and long-term course of borderline personality disorder, childhood experiences of adversity, and co-occurring disorders. Additionally, Zanarini's work encompasses avoidant personality disorder.

She oversees a research program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. For over 10 years, Dr. Zanarini and her colleagues at McLean have followed approximately 300 former inpatients with borderline personality disorder. During the course of this study, a large majority of patients achieved remission, while over half achieved recovery—no longer meeting diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder as well as achieving better social and occupational functioning. Zanarini's research found that four different psychotherapies (mentalization-based treatment, transference focused psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and schema-focused therapy) were effective in improving the severity of impulses and self-destructiveness of patients with BPD.

Zanarini led the development of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD), which is a commonly used test to screen for BPD, and the Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder (ZAN-BPD), a standardized, diagnostic rating scale designed to measure the severity and changes of BPD over time.

Selected publications Zanarini has authored or co-authored numerous publications on borderline personality disorder, including books and peer-reviewed journal articles. According to bibliometric databases, she has published over 140 articles and has an H-index of 80. Zanarini, M. C. (Ed.). (1997). Role of sexual abuse in the etiology of borderline personality disorder. American Psychiatric Association. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.155.2.302 Zanarini, M.C. (Ed.). (2005). Borderline Personality Disorder (1st ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/b1413 Zanarini, M. C. (Ed.). (2018). In the fullness of time: Recovery from borderline personality disorder. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med-psych/9780195370607.001.0001 Zanarini, M. C., Vujanovic, A. A., Parachini, E. A., Boulanger, J. L., Frankenburg, F. R., & Hennen, J. (2003). A screening measure for BPD: the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD). Journal of Personality Disorders, 17(6), 568–573. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.17.6.568.25355 Zanarini, M. C., Vujanovic, A. A., Parachini, E. A., Boulanger, J. L., Frankenburg, F. R., & Hennen, J. (2003). Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder (ZAN-BPD): a continuous measure of DSM-IV borderline psychopathology. Journal of personality disorders, 17(3), 233–242. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.17.3.233.22147 Zanarini M.C., Temes C.M., Frankenburg F.R., Reich D.B., Fitzmaurice G.M.. Description and prediction of time-to-attainment of excellent recovery for borderline patients followed prospectively for 20 years. Psychiatry Res. 2018 Apr;262:40-45. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29407567/

Awards and honors Research.com, 2022-2023: Best Female Scientist Award North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (NASSPD), 2019: Senior Investigator Award International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (ISSPD), 2017: Senior Career Award Educational Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, 2012: Distinguished Achievement in the Field of Personality Disorders Resource Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division, 2012: Distinguished Achievement in the Field of Severe Personality Disorders from the Borderline Personality Disorder