Lori N Scott, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Areas of Expertise

  • Mood Disorders
  • Anxiety, OCD & Trauma Disorders
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Suicidality & Self-Harm
Lori N Scott, PhD
Expertise & Interests Selected Publications Education & Credentials Related News

Expertise & Interests

Research Interests

Suicide and self-injury; Interpersonal dynamics and personality; Emotion regulation

Clinical Interests

Integrative psychotherapy; Object relations and attachment theory; Personality and interpersonal dynamics

Education Interests

Intensive longitudinal research methods; Longitudinal data analysis; Integrative psychotherapy supervision

Selected Publications

  1. Scott LN, Banica Malcolm I, Brown SL, Hernandez Valencia EM, Krafty RT, Slavich GM. Interpersonal life stressors as proximal risk factors for suicide ideation and behavior. Psychological Medicine. 2025 Sep 12;55:e271. PMID: 40936341; PMCID: PMC12517110.
  2. Brown SL, Scott LN. I'd rather be alone. Examining the interactive effects of social proximity and social preference on suicidal thinking. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2025 Feb;55(1):e70006. PMID: 39953820; PMCID: PMC11829208.
  3. Scott LN, Brown SL. Revisiting the affect regulation model of suicide ideation: Bidirectional effects of momentary suicide ideation and affect. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2025 May; 55(1):e70027. PMID: 40401337; PMCID: PMC12096271.
  4. Scott LN, Victor SE, Kaufman EA, Beeney JE, Byrd AL, Vine V, Pilkonis PA, Stepp SD. Affective dynamics across internalizing and externalizing dimensions of psychopathology. Clinical Psychological Science. 2020 May; 8(3):412-427. NIHMSID: NIHMS1058470.
  5. Scott LN, Wright AG, Beeney JE, Lazarus SA, Pilkonis PA, Stepp SD. Borderline personality disorder symptoms and aggression: A within-person process model. J Abnorm Psychol. 2017 May;126(4):429-440. PubMed PMID: 28383936; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5480678.
  6. Scott LN. What are we missing in dimensional models that might explain core dynamic processes in BPD? Commentary on Miskewicz et al., Do normal personality traits connect to the dynamic processes of psychopathology? Personal Disord. 2022 Sept;13(5):423-437. NIHMSID: 1844446; PMID: 36136770; PMCID: PMC9623597.
  7. Scott LN, Pilkonis PA. Further reflections on assessment, etiology, and treatment. Commentary on borderline personality disorder. In: Lejuez CW, Gratz KL, editors. The Cambridge Handbook of Personality Disorders. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2020. p. 242-245.
  8. Herpertz SC, Huprich SK, Bohus M, Chanen A, Goodman M, Mehlum L, Moran P, Newton-Howes G, Scott L, Sharp C. The challenge of transforming the diagnostic system of personality disorders. J Pers Disord. 2017 Oct;31(5):577-589. PubMed PMID: 28910213; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC28910213.
  9. Levy KN, Ellison WD, Scott LN, Bernecker SL. Attachment style. J Clin Psychol. 2011 Feb;67(2):193-203. PubMed PMID: 21108315.
  10. Levy KN, Ellison WD, Scott LN, Bernecker S. Attachment relationships. In: Norcross JC, editor. Psychotherapy relationships that work: Evidence-based responsiveness. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2011. p. 377-401.
  11. Scott LN, Pilkonis PA. Aggressive behavior and interpersonal difficulties. In: Stanley B, New A, editors. Primer on Borderline Personality Disorder. New York: Oxford University Press; 2018. p. 205-224.
  12. Levy KN, Ellison WD, Scott LN. Personality Disorders. In: Leong FT, editor. Encyclopedia of counseling, Vol. 2: Personal and emotional counseling. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 2008.
  13. Levy KN, Scott LN. Other personality disorders. In: Andrasik F, editor. Comprehensive handbook of personality and psychopathology, Vol. II: Adult psychopathology. New York: Wiley & Sons; 2005. p. 316-336.

Education & Credentials

Education & Training

Education
PhD, Clinical Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, College of the Liberal Arts
Internship
Clinical Psychology, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Postdoctoral
Clinical Psychology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Board of Directors, North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders
  • Member, Society for Ambulatory Assessment
  • Member, Association for Psychological Science
  • Member, Society for Research in Psychopathology
  • Member, American Association of Suicidology

Selected Honors & Awards

  • Outstanding Early Career Contribution Award, International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders
  • Early Career Investigator Award, North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders
  • Young Investigator Award, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

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