The criterion validity of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD; Zanarini et al., Journal of Personality Disorders 17:568–573,
2003) as a quick screening device for borderline personality disorder (BPD) was evaluated alongside the more established Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ Borderline subscale (PDQ-BPD; Hyler
1994) using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. Both instruments demonstrated adequate criterion validity with the diagnosis of BPD derived from a clinician-administered diagnostic interview. Optimal cutoffs for each measure were determined using sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios. The previously established cutoff for the MSI-BPD of seven (Zanarini et al., Journal of Personality Disorders 17:568–573,
2003) was confirmed. The current study provides the first support for the use of the MSI-BPD as a screening measure for use in community-based studies of BPD.