Introduction: The concept of borderline syndrome is the subject of current debate because of its ambiguity and lack of homogeneity. Furthermore, the concept is rejected by many authors as a common category for atypical and non-specific disorders that cannot be classified elsewhere. The current use of the term borderline seems to be more a consequence of its historic use than its true clinical meaning. There is discrepancy on whether this term determines a level of severity, an organization of personality or a defined syndromic entity. In 1938, Stern was the first author to use the term borderline, and it was not introduced in the DSM III until 1980.
Objective: This work makes a historical review of the use of the term borderline and also of those terms that have been used to define patients with the same characteristics.
Conclusion: The different schools (psychoanalytic, biological, eclectic and biosocial) have different concepts on the term borderline. There is still no concise and exact definition for the diagnostic criteria of borderline and it is even possible the best term for this group of patients has still not been determined. It will be important to consider the contributions of the DSM V or ICD 11 in the next years.