There’s no biologically based test to definitively diagnose borderline personality disorder.
Reliability and Validity
The McLean Screening Instrument for BPD has demonstrated valid, reliablepsychometric properties.
It has adequate internal consistency andtest-retest reliability.
Hero Images / Getty Images
Which Assessment for BPD Is Best?
Once BPD is diagnosed, however, the clinician candevelop a treatment planto address it.
Rather, it’s a screening tool that helps determine the likelihood that a person has BPD.
Astute clinicians also must take into account the person’s patterns of behavior over time.
A Word From Verywell
BPD is a particularly difficult disorder to diagnose and treat.
If your screening indicates the possibility of BPD, your clinician can then recommend further testing and treatment options.
They will evaluate your condition and prescribe a course of treatment.
BPD assessment tools themselves generally take no more than an hour to complete.
American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2016.
Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire for the DSM IV and DSM 5.The Official PDQ-4 Website.
Mary C. Zanarini, EdD.
2013;20(1):49-54. doi:10.1002/cpp.766
Paris J.Suicidality in borderline personality disorder.Medicina (Kaunas).
2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223
Biskin RS, Paris J.Diagnosing borderline personality disorder.CMAJ.
2021 Mar 30;82(2):21com13909.
doi:10.4088/JCP.21com13909
Borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder: Whats the difference?.
NAMIi: National Alliance on Mental Illness.
American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
5th ed, text revision.
Washington, D.C.; 2022.
Laboratory for the Study of Adult Development.
McLean Hospital (2016).
Zanarini MC, Vujanovic AA, Parachini EA, Boulanger JL, Frankenburg FR, Hennen J.
