A critical examination of empirical studies of the diagnosis of borderline disorders in adults.

Abstract

The diagnosis of borderline disorders poses complex problems of a semantic and methodological nature. The various diagnostic criteria sets published are examined and compared. Gunderson's borderline personality disorder and the DSM-III schizotypal and borderline disorders are recommended, as used with the structured interviews developed for them. Problems concerning the relationship of borderline disorders to the major psychoses, the importance of brief psychotic experiences, diagnostic efficiency of items, and various cut-off levels of criteria are discussed in detail, and proposals for further research are pointed out.