Borderline personality disorder in young Swedish suicides.

Fifty-eight consecutive suicides committed between 1984 and 1987 by adolescents and young adults (ages 15 to 29 years) in an urban community were the subject of retrospective investigation through interviews with survivors and analyses of medical records. Classification in accordance with DSM-III-R showed a large proportion of axis II disorders. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) was found in 19 subjects (33%). When compared with subjects with other disorders, BPD subjects showed more antisocial traits and substance use disorders. Early parental absence, substance abuse in the homes, employment and financial problems, lack of a permanent residence, and sentence by court were also more frequent in BPD subjects.