Borderline Personality Disorder in Adolescents: Diagnostic Reluctance & Dearth of Literature!

In child & adolescent mental health settings, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a dominant and substantial condition with high occurrence rates seen in community, crisis, and in-patient settings. Previously because of multiple concerns, BPD diagnosis in adolescents was considered questionable and was perceived to be invalid. However, in light of the evidence, recent guidelines and diagnostic manuals affirm the diagnosis in the under-18 population. However, despite this, the subsequent lack of clinical literature focusing on this topic highlights diagnostic reluctance among clinicians and thus underscores the need to communicate this new knowledge about BPD in adolescence to healthcare professionals.