The borderline empathy paradox: evidence and conceptual models for empathic enhancements in borderline personality disorder.

Abstract in brief

• The review of 28 studies shows that individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) can have both heightened and diminished social-emotional skills, especially in interactive settings.
• The evidence for increased empathy in BPD is strong but inconsistent, suggesting that some enhanced social responses might occur in specific situations rather than all the time.
• The authors propose a new model explaining this "borderline paradox," suggesting that increased focus on social cues combined with impaired processing of social information may explain both the enhanced empathy and social difficulties in BPD.]