Schizotypal symptoms in patients with borderline personality disorders.

The authors assessed the frequency of schizotypal symptoms in 48 criteria-defined borderline patients. In the total sample schizotypal symptoms were surprisingly common; the average patient had more than seven symptoms and every patient at least one. Even in the "pure" DSM-III borderline subgroup, 67% of the patients had perceptual symptoms, 92% had cognitive symptoms, and 87% reported other "affective" symptoms. Visual phenomena were more prevalent than auditory ones, suggesting a possible contributing role for organic factors in borderline disorders. The results also indicate a close link between borderline and schizotypal personality disorders.