Hyperbolic temperament as a distinguishing feature between borderline personality disorder and mood dysregulation

Abstract

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) commonly co-occurs with mood disorders. This co-occurrence, which can be explained by a shared disposition for negative emotions, raises practical concerns about differential diagnosis. In this chapter, we review research on the co-occurrence of BPD and mood disorders and describe several features that distinguish these forms of psychopathology. We further review a hyperbolic model of the essential features of BPD that integrates these various features. We demonstrate empirically that hyperbolic features (a) interact as predicted with childhood experiences in promoting BPD symptoms, (b) distinguish BPD from mood disorders, and (c) represent the temperamental features of BPD. We describe how this model provides a clinically useful framework for the differential diagnosis of borderline psychopathology.