[Borderline personality disorder and transsexualism]

The study addresses the question whether, as often assumed, the symptoms of borderline personality disorders occur more frequently in transsexuals or not.

We examined 164 transsexuals. The subjects completed the following questionnaires: The Borderline-Personality Inventory (BPI), the Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI) and the Questionnaire for Assessment of One's Own Body (FbeK).

In 80 % of all the examined transsexuals, there was evidence of symptoms of neither a borderline personality disorder nor of other personality disorders. If borderline symptoms occurred, they were predictable from the variables depressivity, low composure, low sociability and lack of confidence in relation to the external appearance.

The data obtained refute the often-assumed increased relationship between borderline personality disorders and transsexuality. It should be assumed that a borderline personality disorder is primarily a psychiatric illness, while transsexuality is a disorder of gender identity in which secondary borderline symptoms may arise in some cases.