Borderline schizophrenia: evidence of its validity.

Borderline schizophrenia is held to be a valid entity that should be included in the DSM-III. It is a chronic illness that may be associated with many other symptoms but is best characterized by perceptual-cognitive abnormalities. It has a familial distribution and a genetic relationship with schizophrenia. The term schizotypal personality is an acceptable alternative to borderline schizophrenia, but given the apparent genetic relationship with schizophrenia, and given that we are dealing with a vulnerability to episodic symptoms more than personality traits, we prefer the older term.