title: The complexity of bipolar and borderline personality: an expression of 'emotional frailty'?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this article is to review recent findings regarding the comorbidity of bipolar disorder with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The conceptualization of the comorbid condition is explored in the context of complexity theory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recent studies highlight distinguishing features between the two disorders. The course of illness of the comorbid condition is generally considered to be more debilitating than bipolar disorder alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some of the differentiating features of bipolar disorder and BPD are highlighted. It is also crucial to consider a co-morbid diagnosis as worse outcomes may be anticipated than for bipolar disorder alone. The concept of 'emotional frailty' is introduced and the comorbid bipolar disorder-BPD condition is considered an expression of this syndrome.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of PsychiatrybDepartment of Medicine, Division of Critical Care, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McDermid
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: McDermid
mesh_terms: D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D010551:Personality