BPD and Crime

Borderline personality disorder is characteristically associated with a broad variety of psychiatric symptoms and aberrant behaviors. We examine the infrequently examined association between borderline personality disorder and criminality. According to our review of the literature, in comparison with the rates of borderline personality disorder encountered in the general population, a borderline personality disorder is over-represented in most studies of inmates. At the same time, there is considerable variation in the reported rates of this Axis II disorder in prison populations, which may be attributed to the methodologies of and populations in the various studies. Overall, female criminals appear to exhibit higher rates of borderline personality disorder, and it is oftentimes associated with a history of childhood sexual abuse, perpetration of impulsive and violent crimes, comorbid antisocial traits, and incarceration for domestic violence.