Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Debate about borderline personality disorder (BPD) has intensified, with some proposing its absorption into complex post-traumatic stress disorder and others questioning whether the diagnosis is harmful. These debates often obscure the central issue of construct validity. This paper evaluates whether BPD constitutes a coherent clinical entity. Drawing on Robins and Guze's classic diagnostic validators - symptom specificity, heritability, course of illness, biological markers and treatment response - the evidence demonstrates that BPD is a robustly validated psychiatric disorder that should be retained in future classification systems. Concerns about stigma and dimensional models are considered but do not undermine its empirical grounding.
Source: BJPsych Bulletin
Author: Mark L. Ruffalo
Institutions: University of Central Florida, Tufts University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7124995261