title: The temperamental borders of affective disorders.
abstract: Depending on the population studied, anywhere from half to two-thirds of DSM-III borderline disorders seem to represent subaffective expressions, principally on the border of bipolar disorder. "Borderland" may actually be a better characterization of this large temperamentally unstable terrain with a population prevalence of 4-6% (as compared with 1% for classical bipolar disorder). The temperaments include the dysthymic, irritable, and cyclothymic types which, respectively, coexist with "double depressive", mixed bipolar, and bipolar II disorders; others conform to an anxious-sensitive temperament in continuum with hysteroid dysphoric and atypical depressive disorders. Borderline "stable instability" in these patients appears secondary to affective temperamental dysregulation, which has exacerbated into a protracted emotional storm during a difficult maturational phase in the biography of a given patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0603.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Akiskal
mesh_terms: D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003527:Cyclothymic Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D009626:Terminology as Topic