Subaffective Disorders: Dysthymic, Cyclothymic and Bipolar II Disorders in the “;Borderline” Realm

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High rates of familial affective psychopathology and a high incidence of affective episodes demonstrated in longitudinal clinical studies, along with the results of studies of two recently developed biological markers (delayed escape from dexamethasone suppression and REM latency) provide strong support for a shift in nosologic emphasis from schizophrenic toward affective disorders. Different forms of subaffective disorders are described to illustrate the significant overlap between these disorders and borderline characterologic psychopathology.

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