Validation of the MCMI-I Borderline Personality Disorder Scale with a well-defined criterion sample

This study examined the MCMI-I BPD scale's accuracy in assigning borderline personality disorder as a primary diagnosis. Clinicians with particular expertise in Axis II pathology diagnosed borderline patients in two groups in this sample. Results indicate that the MCMI-I BPD scale has very limited utility as a screening instrument for individual diagnoses when a well-defined borderline sample is-used as a criterion. This study further suggests that at present only clinicians with particular expertise in the diagnosis of personality disorders can assess the degree and type of Axis II pathology present in a given patient. Because most structured interview and self-report validation studies have not included well-defined criterion groups, diagnostic validity of particular measures generally has not been established beyond the level of concordance.