BPD: More Prevalent than Previously Estimated?

The authors of a study in Archives of General Psychiatry hypothesized that BPD is more prevalent than the commonly estimated 1% BP-I rate. Using Version 3.0 of the World Health Organization’s Composite International Diagnostic Interview, researchers interviewed 9,282 adults, aged ≥18 years, to assess DSM-IV and 12-month Axis 1 disorders. Subthreshold BPD is defined as recurrent hypomania without a major depressive episode. Lifetime prevalence estimates for BP-I are 1.0%, 1.1% for BP-II, and 2.4% for subthreshold BPD. Since subthreshold cases may have moderate to severe clinical significance and are common, according to the authors more criteria must be established to define and treat subthreshold BPD.
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/64/5/543

-LS