Am J Psychiatry 1995; 152:268-270
Copyright © 1995 by American Psychiatric Association
Aspects of depression associated with borderline personality disorder
JH Rogers, TA Widiger and A Krupp
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
OBJECTIVE: Shared symptoms between borderline personality disorder and
depression have resulted in inherent difficulties in evaluating the
relationship between these disorders. Some theorists have argued that
depression in patients with borderline personality disorder is
qualitatively distinct from depression in nonborderline patients. The
purpose of this study was to empirically identify aspects of depression
most associated with borderline personality disorder. METHOD: Through
interview and self-report measures, the authors studied depression in 50
inpatients, 21 of whom had borderline personality disorder. RESULTS: The
aspects of depression most associated with borderline personality disorder
were self-condemnation, emptiness, abandonment fears, self-
destructiveness, and hopelessness; boredom and somatic complaints exhibited
no association. CONCLUSIONS: Depression associated with borderline
pathology appears to be in some respects unique, as well as distinct from
nonborderline depression. The study's implications delineate the importance
of considering the phenomenological aspects of depression in borderline
personality disorder.
