THE QUALITY OF DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY-DISORDER

Objective: The quality of depression in borderline adolescent girls wa s compared with the quality of depression in depressed, nonborderline girls. Psychoanalytic theories led us to expect signs of anaclitic dep ression in borderlines as well as a depressive sense of being ''all ba d.'' Method: Quality of depression was examined by means of Rorschach content analysis and the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ). B orderline girls were expected to show greater Rorschach imagery pertai ning to oral dependency and oral aggression than would depressed, nonb orderline control girls. The borderline diagnosis was based on the Dia gnostic Interview for Borderlines. DSM-III-R criteria were used to dia gnose depression. Subjects were psychiatric inpatients, ages 14 to 18 years. Results: As expected, it was found that borderline girls scored significantly higher than did controls on Rorschach scales of oral de pendency; borderlines scored significantly higher on DEQ factors of de pendency and self-criticism. Significant DEQ items reflected the borde rlines' abandonment fears. Conclusions: This study provides empirical support for anaclitic depression in borderline adolescents, and sugges ts the presence of underlying fears in borderlines of being fundamenta lly evil or bad.