Controversies in diagnosis, classification and treatment of borderline personality disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Borderline personality disorder is the most widely researched single personality disorder, and much research activity continues. This review covers empirical literature on diagnosis, classification and treatment of borderline personality disorder published during 2006 and 2007. Several of the issues that concern borderline personality disorder also concern personality disorders in general, and so the review is broadened in the diagnostic section to include the latter.


RESULTS
Integration of categorical and dimensional approaches to personality disorders is actively being sought for inclusion in the next revision of the psychiatric classifications. Although there are few new studies on pharmacotherapy for borderline personality disorder, many new findings on psychotherapy have been reported. They indicate that a variety of treatment modalities can influence borderline personality disorder, but the role of spontaneous improvement over time and established prognostic factors have not received sufficient attention. New modalities of psychotherapy have been tested by less stringent designs.


CONCLUSIONS
Research into classification, diagnosis and psychotherapy of borderline personality disorder is flourishing, but research activity in pharmacotherapy is limited.
Dahl
Alv A
AA
The Cancer Clinic, Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet Medical Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. alvd@ulrik.uio.no
D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008403:Mass Screening; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs