DSM-IV CRITERIA FOR BORDERLINE PERSONALITY-DISORDER - A CRITICAL-EVALUATION

The present article critically examines the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) recently proposed by the DSM-IV Axis II work group (Gunderson, J G., et al., Journal of Personality Disorders, 5, 340-352, 1991). It is concluded that some of the revisions are trivial and there is insufficient justification for others. The revisions are likely to increase the overlap between BPD and other disorders and represent an attempt to retain a categorical classification in the face of evidence that a dimensional model is more appropriate. Evidence suggests that many borderline traits are manifestations of extreme neuroticism.