Q. Our son has been diagnosed with an "Affective Disorder." Is this the same as Borderline Personality Disorder?

A. An affective disorder is a disorder of mood. It can be dysthymia, which is a minor depression. It can be major depression. It can be mania, or it can be admixtures of all of these. Many individuals with affective disorders have borderline personality, but not all of them by a long shot. I would ask you doctor for some clarification about what he or she is treating, since affective disorder is not really a diagnosis. It would be like a policeman putting the word car under the vehicle type box on a ticket he issued. Not enough data to identify, and inappropriate as a stand alone diagnosis