Feel like your emotions are on a roller coaster - intense highs, crushing lows, relationships that swing hot and cold? The MSI-BPD is a 10-item yes/no screening tool that maps to the 9 DSM-5 criteria for borderline personality disorder. Designed for high specificity to reduce false positives. Takes about 3 minutes. Screening only - not a diagnosis.

About the McLean Screening Instrument (MSI-BPD)

The MSI-BPD was developed by Zanarini et al. (2003) as a brief self-report screening tool for Borderline Personality Disorder. Its 10 yes/no items cover the 9 DSM-5 BPD criteria.

Score Interpretation

Total score 0-10 (1 point per "Yes" response).

  • 0-6: Below clinical threshold
  • 7-10: At or above clinical cutoff

Important Notes

This is a screening tool, not a diagnostic instrument.

Scoring Guide

Score range 0-10 (1 point per "Yes" response). Clinical cutoff: ≥7 indicates high risk for BPD (sensitivity 0.81, specificity 0.85, Zanarini 2003). Item 2 (self-harm/suicidality) requires immediate attention if endorsed.

Result Interpretation

After completing the 10 questions, you'll receive an immediate, detailed report with:

  • Your score — calculated automatically based on your responses
  • Score interpretation — what your score means in practical terms
  • Context — how your results compare to general population norms where available

All results are displayed on screen. No account or login needed.