Issues for DSM-V: I) including biological variables to objectively comfort the clinical diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and II) proposing a new subcategory to be included in the criteria sets for further study.

摘要

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious chronic condition which may lead to a poor quality of life and carries a considerable risk of comorbidity and suicide. The syndrome has been acknowledged and investigated in psychiatry for at least seventy years. The DSM-IV gives a panel of nine symptoms and manifestations for its diagnosis, but not taking into account neurobiological and objective issues.The issue of whether BPD should be considered as a discrete condition, as the edge of a dimensional state ranging from 'almost normal' personalities to clearly pathological ones or as a hybrid of traits and symptomatic behaviors (McGlashan, 2005) seems to be important to correctly diagnose our patients and is a comer stone in the Research Agenda for DSM-V. The pathophysiology of BPD is very important because this is the progress which will probably lead to the development of effective treatments.