THE TEMPERAMENTAL BORDERS OF AFFECTIVE-DISORDERS

Depending on the population studied, anywhere from half to two-thirds of DSM-III borderline disorders seem to represent subaffective express ions, principally on the border of bipolar disorder. ''Borderland'' ma y actually be a better characterization of this large temperamentally unstable terrain with a population prevalence of 4-6% (as compared wit h 1% for classical bipolar disorder). The temperaments include the dys thymic, irritable, and cyclothymic types which, respectively, coexist with ''double depressive'', mixed bipolar, and bipolar II disorders; o thers conform to an anxious-sensitive temperament in continuum with hy steroid dysphoric and atypical depressive disorders. Borderline ''stab le instability'' in these patients appears secondary to affective temp eramental dysregulation, which has exacerbated into a protracted emoti onal storm during a difficult maturational phase in the biography of a given patient.