Beyond the Categorical Distinction Between Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder Through the Identification of Personality Traits Profiles

• Main Authors: Juana Villarroel, Valeria Salinas, Hernán Silva, Luisa Herrera, Cristián Montes, Sonia Jerez, Paul A. Vöhringer, Maria Leonor Bustamante
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-08-01
• Series: Frontiers in Psychiatry
• Subjects: five-factor model; neuroticism; agreeableness; conscientiousness; transdiagnostic approach
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00552/full

BackgroundThe relationship between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and type-II bipolar disorder (BDII) is not clearly understood. Nevertheless, in clinical practice and research, most efforts focus on establishing a categorical distinction between the two. We propose using personality traits as a more informative strategy to describe them.MethodsFive-Factor Model personality traits were measured in 73 individuals with either BPD or BDII. Latent class cluster analysis was applied to the sample.ResultsA three-cluster model resulted the best fit to the data, where all clusters had high neuroticism and low extraversion scores but differed widely on the other traits. The clusters’ boundaries did not match the categorical diagnosis.ConclusionsOur sample showed significant heterogeneity on personality traits, which can have a relevant effect on the outcome of each disorder and that was not captured by the categorical diagnosis. Thus, we advocate for a multivariate approach as a better way to understand the relationship between BPD and BDII.