Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder: The Discussion Goes on. Differential Diagnosis Proposal

Abstract

Following the inclusion in the ICD-11 of the diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (c-PTSD) in 2020, there has been a succession of publications debating the relevance or lack thereof of this entity and regarding its distinction from borderline personality disorder (BPD). The present reflection article aims to: 1. understand whether c-PTSD and BPD are different entities; 2. understand the state of the art regarding this issue; and 3. propose a differential diagnosis that will help to distinguish between the two. To account for the first two questions, a qualitative (non-systematic) literature review was carried out between 2020 and 2022 (the period of validity of c-PTSD in the ICD-11). Based on the theoretical and empirical information found, and achieving the third objective, a differential diagnosis is proposed in order to shed light on the nosological distinction between the two constructs.