title: Descriptive and longitudinal observations on the relationship of borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder.
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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
authors.affiliation: McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Belmont, MA. psychosocial@mcleanpo.mclean.org
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Gunderson
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: Maria T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Daversa
authors.forename: Karsten D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Kueppenbender
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Zanarini
authors.forename: M Tracie
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.forename: Andrew E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Skodol
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Sanislow
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Leslie C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Morey
authors.forename: Carlos M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Grilo
authors.forename: Thomas H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: McGlashan
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Stout
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dyck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors