Differentiating borderline personality disorder from bipolar disorder using the Rorschach Inkblot Test

The proposed study has one central purpose, to determine if the Comprehensive System (CS), an empirically valid system for scoring and interpreting the Rorschach Inkblot Test, can effectively discriminate between individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and those diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Previously conducted, peer-reviewed studies since 1985 have uncovered CS variables that were statistically significant in BPD and in bipolar groups when examined separately. However, there have been relatively few such investigations, making the body of research with CS variables small in this area. It would be valuable to know whether or not the CS is a useful tool in distinguishing between these two disorders. A second goal of the current study is to uncover variables that help diagnose both bipolar disorder and BPD as separate entities. Some CS variables have not been previously studied with regard bipolar disorder or BPD. Additional research with variables known to be useful in identifying these disorders will cross-validate findings that already exist. Moreover, if the Rorschach could help classify individuals with these disorders and uncover distinct differences between them in their test results, these data would also lend support for the idea that these are indeed two different disorders, a tertiary goal of the current study.