Borderline Personality Disorder

Excerpt

A personality disorder is a disorder involving a rigid and unhealthy pattern of thinking. Personality disorders are prevalent in the general population and more so in clinical populations. In the pediatric population, all personality disorders can be diagnosed, except antisocial personality disorder, as long as the pathologic behavior has been present for a year or more. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) lists ten personality disorders divided into the 3 clusters (A, B, and C). Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is 1 of 4 cluster-B disorders that include borderline, antisocial, narcissistic, and histrionic. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by hypersensitivity to rejection and resulting instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, affect, and behavior. Borderline personality disorder causes significant impairment and distress and is associated with multiple medical and psychiatric co-morbidities. Surveys have estimated the prevalence of borderline personality disorder to be 1.6% in the general population and 20% of the psychiatric inpatient population.

In contrast, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) appears to be the most prevalent personality disorder, with rates around 5% of the general population in some studies. Patients with borderline personality disorder have been shown to utilize extensive treatment resources and are at increased morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. This is perhaps the reason why borderline personality disorder has been studied more extensively than other personality disorders.