Objective: To estimate the frequency of borderline personality disorder (BP
D) in French high school students.
Method. A random sample of high school students (n=1363) ranging in age fro
m 13 to 20 years agreed to complete a questionnaire, the Screening Test for
Comorbid Personality Disorders (STCPD); 107 of them volunteered to be inte
rviewed. We assessed this group using the Revised Diagnostic Interview for
Borderlines (DIB-R). We conducted a regression analysis to determine a cut-
off for BPD diagnosis with the STCPD.
Results: We estimated the overall frequency of BPD to be 10% for boys and 1
8% for girls. After apeak of frequency at age 14 years for both sexes, the
frequency increased significantly again in late adolescence.
Conclusion: This study found a high frequency of BPD in French adolescents,
which adds to questions regarding the validity of diagnosing this disorder
in adolescents.