Borderline, depressive, and schizophrenic discrimination by MMPI

Abstract

This study intended t o differentiate among borderline personality disorder (BPD), schizophrenic, and depressed patients o n the basis of their MMPI profiles. MMPI profiles of 237 psychiatric inpatients were selected on the basis of their primary DSM-111 admission diagnoses. Analysis of MMPI mean scores and discriminant function analysis supports previous literature in describing borderline patients as having a broad spectrum of psychopathology typified by an attitude of alienation and rebelliousness, atypical thought content and/or process, and eccentric behavior. Schizophrenic patients are differentiated from BPD patients by the presence of thought disorder and psychotic-like manifestations. The depressed patients did not show the aforementioned extreme characteristics of the other two groups.The term "borderline" traditionally has referred to a state or condition that shared characteristics in common with, and bordered, schizophrenia or a psychotic condition (Stone, 1977). In such a context, the term "borderline schizophrenia" has been used frequently. Millon (1981) suggested that the borderline personality disorder (BPD) has more affective and impulsive characteristics than schizophrenia and that the schizoptypal personality disorder had more in common with schizophrenia. DSM-111 and DSM-111-R state nothing about thought disorder or psychosis in BPD. Nevertheless, BPD has historical roots in three realmsschizophrenia, affective disorder, and personality disorder. These different roots are probably responsible for the confusion and disagreement and different patterns of usage. The present research was intended to clarify this situation.There has been considerable interest in defining the characteristics of BPD and determining whether it represents a discreet diagnostic entity or is a variant of affective disorders or schizophrenia. Many authors have noted affective symptoms in patients

Stability of Thought Disorder Index among high-risk and low-risk adoptees in the Finnish adoptive family study of schizophrenia

“…Thought disorder is present in other psychiatric disorders as well. Previous studies have revealed thought disorders in patients with affective [6,23,36], schizoid [37,38], and borderline personality disorder [9,11], in autistic [7] and bulimic children [25], and in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [5].…”