Background: There is current controversy about the diagnostic overlap between personality disorders and trauma-related disorders.
Patients and methods: Applying a multicenter study design, trauma-related disorders were investigated via interview assessment in 136 patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in 5 specialized treatment centers. Additionally a spectrum of psychological symptoms and prevalence of lifetime traumatic experiences were assessed by questionnaire measures.
Results: Diagnostic overlap between BPD and PTSD was found to be high (79%) as well as the overlap of BPD with complex PTSD (55%) and severe dissociative disorders (41%). Including neglect and emotional violence as trauma categories, an extremely high prevalence of lifetime traumatic experiences was reported (96%). Experiences of sexual violence were reported by 48% of all female and 28% of all male patients. Severe forms of physical violence were reported by 65% of all patients.
Conclusions: BPD patients with severe psychopathology show a high comorbidity with trauma-related disorders including dissociative disorders. This association has to be taken into account when planning psychological treatment.