Racial bias in diagnosing borderline personality disorder

What is it about?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition characterized by mood instability, impulsivity, and suicidality. This paper explores if there are any differences in rates of BPD among different racial/ethnic groups, and if so, is it because of the diagnostician's bias. All in all, this study found no evidence that points to racial bias in the diagnosis of BPD.

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Photo by Matúš Kovačovský on Unsplash

Photo by Matúš Kovačovský on Unsplash

Why is it important?

There is evidence of bias in diagnosing BPD in certain minority groups. There is also evidence of racial bias in diagnosing other mental health conditions. However, until this study, no studies explored racial bias in the BPD diagnosis specifically. Given the fact that bias in BPD diagnosis was present among other minoritized groups, we wondered whether this was true among racial/ethnic minorities.