BORDERLINE PERSONALITY-DISORDER IN MAJOR DEPRESSION

The precise interrelationship between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and major depression (MD) remains unclear. To elucidate this fur ther, we studied the characteristics of BPD in an unselected sample of 103 depressed subjects. All subjects were evaluated with structured d iagnostic instruments. We contrasted three groups (MD plus BPD, MD plu s a non-BPD, and MD plus no personality disorder) across several domai ns (characteristics of she depressive disorder, psychometric scales, a xes I and II comorbidity, early environmental indices, family psychiat ric history, and treatment response). Depressed subjects with BPD had significantly earlier onset of depression, dense axes I and ii comorbi dity, and higher prevalence of conduct disorder, and were characterize d by elevated psychoticism and anger-hostility scores. In most other r espects, however, depressed subjects with BPD were not strikingly dist inct from other groups of depressed subjects.