Book excerpt: The Zanarini Rating Scale for BPD is a nine-item, validated, clinician-based diagnostic interview. It assesses the severity of DSM-IV-based Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms. This scale also measures meaningful changes in symptoms over time. The 0-4 points rating ranges from No Symptoms (0) to Severe Symptoms (4) for the following categories: Affective: Inappropriate anger / frequent angry acts; chronic feelings of emptiness; mood instability Cognitive: Stress-related paranoia / dissociation; severe identity disturbance based on false personal beliefs Impulsive: Self-mutilation and/or suicidal efforts; two other forms of impulsivity Interpersonal: Unstable interpersonal relationships; frantic efforts to avoid abandonment