Specific or transdiagnostic? The occurrence of emotions and their association with distress in the daily life of patients with borderline personality disorder compared to clinical and healthy controls.

•Anger is specifically frequent in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD).•Anger is associated with the highest distress across the examined clinical groups.•Joy is particularly distress-relieving for patients with BPD and with bulimia nervosa.•Shame is no more impairing for patients with BPD than other negative emotions.