The diagnosis of borderline personality disorder: problematic but better than the alternatives.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this review is to examine empirical evidence concerning critiques of the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD): for uncertain validity, and for overlap with other mental disorders.

METHODS

A review of the literature on the validity and comorbidity of BPD was conducted.

RESULTS

Since BPD is a complex multidimensional construct, its validity is inevitably problematic, but no more so than most other psychiatric diagnoses. The comorbidity of BPD is probably an artefact of the current classification system, and there is no convincing evidence that BPD is a variant of an Axis I disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

Although further research should lead to changes in classification, the diagnosis of BPD retains significant clinical utility.