Overlapping Phenotypes of Compulsive Buying-Shopping Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder: An Evidence-Based Model

TL;DR

This paper compares Compulsive Buying-Shopping Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder to identify shared and unique features, offering a framework for better diagnosis and treatment.

Contribution

The study provides a structured comparison and a new framework to differentiate and understand overlapping mechanisms between CBSD and BPD.

Findings

Shared constructs include impulsivity, emotional regulation, and self-concept between CBSD and BPD.

CBSD is characterized by constructs like cue-reactivity and materialism, while BPD involves mentalization and dissociative symptoms.

The model helps distinguish shared and unique features, aiding in transdiagnostic understanding and intervention strategies.

Abstract

•Narrative overview of overlapping and differential features of CBSD and BPD.•Findings highlight key transdiagnostic mechanisms.•Framework provides structure to differentiate shared/disorder-dominant constructs.

Narrative overview of overlapping and differential features of CBSD and BPD.

Findings highlight key transdiagnostic mechanisms.

Framework provides structure to differentiate shared/disorder-dominant constructs.

Compulsive Buying-Shopping Disorder (CBSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are two clinically relevant conditions that frequently co-occur. Previous studies suggest overlapping etiological pathways, yet a structured comparison of the two disorders is missing. This paper aimed to map and contrast the key psychological constructs associated with CBSD and BPD based on established diagnostic criteria and the existing literature.

A comprehensive, iterative literature search was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar without publication date restrictions, including qualitative, quantitative, and review studies in English and German. Constructs were categorized based on the strength and consistency of the evidence, and findings were synthesized narratively and illustrated visually.

Shared constructs include impulsivity, affective/emotional stability and regulation, self-regulation/control, self-concept/identity, attachment style/emotional dependence, decision-making, perfectionism, and novelty seeking. For CBSD, constructs such as cue-reactivity/craving, compulsivity, behavioral inhibition/activation system, materialism, attachment to possessions, and approach-oriented personality traits were more prominent. In contrast, BPD-specific constructs include internal representations of self and others/object relations, mentalization, chronic emptiness, perceptual/interpretation bias, non-suicidal self-injurious behavior, social relationships, and dissociative symptoms.

The resulting model offers a preliminary framework to distinguish shared and unique features of CBSD and BPD, supporting transdiagnostic understanding and contributing to improved diagnostic precision and intervention strategies.

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