Geriatric borderline personality disorder in the era of the DSM-5 and ICD-11

The development of a valid and reliable assessment tool for personality disorders has the potential to influence significantly treatment, management, and quality of life for individuals with personality difficulties. Here, we review briefly the current diagnostic criteria and classification of borderline personality disorder (BPD), with a focus on BPD in the recently released 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and in the context of the DSM-5 alternate model of personality disorders. Personality disorder presentation in older adults will also be discussed. There is an urgent need for future editions of the DSM and the upcoming 11th revision of the International Classification of Disease (ICD-11) to include guidelines that reflect accurately how personality disorders evolve with age and within the context of other medical disorders associated with aging (e.g., neurocognitive disorders/dementia).