Frequency of Borderline Personality Disorder Among Psychiatric Outpatients in Shanghai.

The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency, clinical characteristics, and comorbidity of borderline personality disorder (BPD) among psychiatric outpatients in two clinics at Shanghai Mental Health Center. A cross-sectional investigation was conducted. From 3,075 outpatients screened using the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-IV+, 2,284 patients positive for a personality disorder were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders. The frequency of BPD among the psychiatric outpatients was 5.8%, with afrequency of 3.5% among males and 7.5% among females (p < .01). BPD was found to have extensive comorbidity with Axis I and II disorders. This study proves that BPD does occur in China. The detected frequency among outpatients is lower than that reported in North America.