Affective instability in borderline personality disorder: Experience sampling findings

Affective instability, defined as repeated, rapid, and abrupt shifts in mood, is considered the core pathology in borderline personality disorder. The temporal pattern of affective instability can be best captured with the experience sampling method-longitudinal assessment of people’s affective states as they occur in real time and in their natural environment. A review of the experience sampling studies published to date for borderline …