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Is borderline personality disorder really a personality disorder?

Is borderline personality disorder really a personality disorder? Personality and Mental Health 3: 85 (2009) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/pmh.80 Editorial Is borderline personality disorder really a personality disorder? ROGER MULDER, University of Otago, New Zealand This special issue of Personality and Mental Health ble. The name ‘borderline’ is not ideal. Some com- focuses on borderline personality disorder (BPD), mentaries note the political and practical issues in particular whether or not BPD is best classifi ed such as ‘turf wars’ and insurance cover, which as a personality disorder. Tyrer presents the view might result in patients with BPD receiving worse that although BDP is the most studied of all per- care or inappropriate interventions. They argue sonality disorders over the past two decades, it is pragmatically that it is best to leave BPD where it a collection of symptoms rather than traits and is until we have better evidence to decide on its does not seem to exist as a coherent and persistent classifi cation. personality group. He considers that BPD would Tyrer notes their arguments but concludes be better classifi ed as a condition of recurrent that ‘. . . it is loyalty, and the fear of abandoning a unstable mood and behaviour, which he calls fl uxi- loved friend, rather than science that is holding thymia, and placed with the mood disorders. BPD within the family of other personality Not surprisingly, this position generated spir- disorders’. ited defence from Paris and colleagues. They argue The editors hope that the points raised by this that BPD is a more complex and multidimensional series of papers will stimulate ongoing debate about syndrome than one accounted for by changes in this very important issue. BPD is an infl uential mood and behaviour. They note the important personality disorder, particularly since patients role of impulsivity, anger, interpersonal hypersen- who suffer from it actively seek treatment and sitivity and feelings of emptiness. In addition, they treatments for BPD are more studied than those argue that treatments for BPD are specifi c and not for any other personality disorder. necessarily effective for mood disorder, and that The validity or not of the diagnosis of BPD is treatments for mood disorder are not necessarily therefore of crucial importance for the fi eld of per- particularly effective for BPD. sonality disorder research. The concerns raised by A series of commentaries by leading personality Tyrer are real and need to be carefully considered. disorder researchers generally support the view of While most commentators consider that his pro- Paris et al. However, all acknowledge, as do Paris posal is a step too far, they acknowledge the issues et al., that Tyrer’s paper raises real concerns about and the need for ongoing research around the the validity of BPD as a personality disorder. The diagnosis of BPD and its place within the structure BPD criteria are problematic and frequently unsta- of personality disorders generally. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 3: 85 (2009) DOI: 10.1002/pmh http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Personality and Mental Health Wiley

Is borderline personality disorder really a personality disorder?

Mulder, Roger
Personality and Mental Health , Volume 3 (2) – Jan 1, 2009
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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Wiley Subscription Services
ISSN
1932-8621
eISSN
1932-863X
DOI
10.1002/pmh.80
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Abstract

Personality and Mental Health 3: 85 (2009) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/pmh.80 Editorial Is borderline personality disorder really a personality disorder? ROGER MULDER, University of Otago, New Zealand This special issue of Personality and Mental Health ble. The name ‘borderline’ is not ideal. Some com- focuses on borderline personality disorder (BPD), mentaries note the political and practical issues in particular whether or not BPD is best classifi ed such as ‘turf wars’ and insurance cover, which as a personality disorder. Tyrer presents the view might result in patients with BPD receiving worse that although BDP is the most studied of all per- care or inappropriate interventions. They argue sonality disorders over the past two decades, it is pragmatically that it is best to leave BPD where it a collection of symptoms rather than traits and is until we have better evidence to decide on its does not seem to exist as a coherent and persistent classifi cation. personality group. He considers that BPD would Tyrer notes their arguments but concludes be better classifi ed as a condition of recurrent that ‘. . . it is loyalty, and the fear of abandoning a unstable mood and behaviour, which he calls fl uxi- loved friend, rather than science that is holding thymia, and placed with the mood disorders. BPD within the family of other personality Not surprisingly, this position generated spir- disorders’. ited defence from Paris and colleagues. They argue The editors hope that the points raised by this that BPD is a more complex and multidimensional series of papers will stimulate ongoing debate about syndrome than one accounted for by changes in this very important issue. BPD is an infl uential mood and behaviour. They note the important personality disorder, particularly since patients role of impulsivity, anger, interpersonal hypersen- who suffer from it actively seek treatment and sitivity and feelings of emptiness. In addition, they treatments for BPD are more studied than those argue that treatments for BPD are specifi c and not for any other personality disorder. necessarily effective for mood disorder, and that The validity or not of the diagnosis of BPD is treatments for mood disorder are not necessarily therefore of crucial importance for the fi eld of per- particularly effective for BPD. sonality disorder research. The concerns raised by A series of commentaries by leading personality Tyrer are real and need to be carefully considered. disorder researchers generally support the view of While most commentators consider that his pro- Paris et al. However, all acknowledge, as do Paris posal is a step too far, they acknowledge the issues et al., that Tyrer’s paper raises real concerns about and the need for ongoing research around the the validity of BPD as a personality disorder. The diagnosis of BPD and its place within the structure BPD criteria are problematic and frequently unsta- of personality disorders generally. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 3: 85 (2009) DOI: 10.1002/pmh

Journal

Personality and Mental Health – Wiley

Published: Jan 1, 2009

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