Borderline personality disorder and substance use disorders: a review and integration

Abstract

The empirical literature on the comorbidity between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) is reviewed. BPD-SUD comorbidity data obtained from studies published from 1987 to 1997 document the frequent co-occurrence of these diagnoses. Methodological issues and theoretical models for understanding this co-occurrence are discussed. Finally, we present our conceptualization of the relations and interactions of the major factors influencing the development of BPD and contributing to the comorbidity between BPD and SUDs.