WesScholar

Title

Descriptive and longitudinal observations on the relationship of borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder

Authors

John G. Gunderson, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Igor Weinberg, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Maria T. Daversa, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Karsten D. Kueppenbender, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Mary C. Zanarini, McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School
M. Tracie Shea, Brown University Medical SchoolFollow
Andrew E. Skodol, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric InstituteFollow
Charles A. Sanislow, Yale University School of MedicineFollow
Shirley Yen, Brown University Medical School
Leslie C. Morey
Carlos M. Grilo, Yale University School of Medicine
Thomas H. McGlashan, Yale University School of Medicine
Robert L. Stout, Brown University Medical School
Ingrid R. Dyck, Brown University Medical School

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

July 2006

Journal or Book Title

American Journal of Psychiatry

Volume

163

Issue

7

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test whether borderline personality disorder is a variant of bipolar disorder by examining the rates of co-occurrence in both disorders, the effects of co-occurrence on a longitudinal course, and whether the presence of either disorder confers the risk for new onsets of the other.

METHOD: A prospective repeated-measures design with reliable independent diagnostic measures and 4 years of follow-up was used to assess 196 patients with borderline personality disorder and 433 patients with other personality disorders.

RESULTS: Patients with borderline personality disorder had a significantly higher co-occurrence of bipolar disorder (19.4%) than did patients with other personality disorders. However, this co-occurrence did not appear to affect the subsequent course of borderline personality disorder. Although only 8.2% of the borderline personality disorder patients developed new onsets of bipolar disorder, this rate was higher than in patients with other personality disorders. Patients with other personality disorders with co-occurring bipolar disorder generally had more new onsets of borderline personality disorder (25%) than did patients with other personality disorders without co-occurring bipolar disorder (10%).

CONCLUSIONS: A modest association between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder is reported.

Recommended Citation

Gunderson, J. G., Weinberg, I., Daversa, M., Kueppenbender, K. D., Zanarini M .C., Shea, M. T., Skodol, A. E., Sanislow, C. A., Yen, S., Morey, L. C., Grilo C. M., McGlashan,T. H., Stout, R. L., & Dyck, I. (2006). Descriptive and longitudinal observations on the relationship of borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(7), 1173-1178.