What exactly is borderline personality disorder?

Question

I know that it is a mental (or emotional) illness, but what are the symptoms of it?

-Thanks!

Answer 1

Like most personality disorders, there are many factors that may contribute to the development of symptoms.  Because the symptoms are long lasting, the idea that symptoms begin to emerge in childhood or at least adolescence is well accepted.  The negative consequences of such symptoms, however, may not show themselves until adulthood.

Symptoms are often present in adolescence and almost always by young adulthood.  There may be a history of unstable relationships in the person's life and there is a higher than average likelihood of sexual abuse, family violence, and/or neglect in the person's childhood.  This disorder is diagnosed much more frequently in females.

Symptoms

The major symptoms of this disorder revolve around unstable relationships, poor or negative sense of self, inconsistent moods, and significant impulsivity.  There is an intense fear of abandonment with this disorder that interferes with many aspects if the individual's life.  This fear often acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy as they cling to others, are very needy, feel helpless, and become overly involved and immediately attached.  When the fear of abandonment becomes overwhelming, they will often push others out of their life as if trying to avoid getting rejected.  The cycle most often continues as the individual will then try everything to get people back in his or her life and once again becomes clingy, needy, and helpless.

The fact that people often do leave someone who exhibits this behavior only proves to support their distorted belief that they are insignificant, worthless, and unloved.  At this point in the cycle, the individual may exhibit self-harming behaviors such as suicide attempts, mock suicidal attempts (where the goal is to get rescued and lure others back into the individual's life), cutting or other self-mutilating behavior.  There is often intense and sudden anger involved, directed both at self and others, as well a difficulty controlling destructive behaviors

Treatment

Treatment for this disorder is long term in nature since the symptoms have been present for an extended time and interfere with many aspects of the person's life.  Insight oriented therapy can be helpful but research is showing an increased support for a cognitive-behavioral approach.  In other words, the individual's thoughts and actions are monitored both by the self and therapist and specific behaviors are counted and a plan is made to gradually reduce those thoughts and behaviors that are seen as negative.  A combined approach may be best, but either way requires intensive time and effort.

Prognosis

Prognosis is difficult to assess.  While the disorder is chronic in nature, gradual improvements with work are definitely seen.  While it is difficult for anyone to change major aspects of their personality, the symptoms of this disorder can be reduced in both number and intensity.  Long term treatment is almost always required.

Answer 2

Simple answer: the fear of abandonment

The statement 'I hate you, don't leave me' ... can explain a lot too

other wise the Wiki knows all !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_...

Answer 3

I was diagnosed with this and the biggest symptom I have is fear of abandonment to the point where I'll end up in the hospital for a couple days because I become so violently ill.

Details about Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.

The perception of impending separation or rejection, or the loss of external structure, can lead to profound changes in self-image, emotion, thinking and behavior. Someone with borderline personality disorder will be very sensitive to things happening around them in their environment. They experience intense abandonment fears and inappropriate anger, even when faced with a realistic separation or when there are unavoidable changes in plans. For instance, becoming very angry with someone for being a few minutes late or having to cancel a lunch date. People with borderline personality disorder may believ that this abandonment implies that they are “bad.” These abandonment fears are related to an intolerance of being alone and a need to have other people with them. Their frantic efforts to avoid abandonment may include impulsive actions such as self-mutilating or suicidal behaviors.

Unstable and intense relationships.

People with borderline personality disorder may idealize potential caregivers or lovers at the first or second meeting, demand to spend a lot of time together, and share the most intimate details early in a relationship. However, they may switch quickly from idealizing other people to devaluing them, feeling that the other person does not care enough, does not give enough, is not “there” enough. These individuals can empathize with and nurture other people, but only with the expectation that the other person will “be there” in return to meet their own needs on demand. These individuals are prone to sudden and dramatic shifts in their view of others, who may alternately be seen as beneficient supports or as cruelly punitive. Such shifts other reflect disillusionment with a caregiver whose nurturing qualities had been idealized or whose rejection or abandonment is expected.

Identity disturbance.

There are sudden and dramatic shifts in self-image, characterized by shifting goals, values and vocational aspirations. There may be suddent changes in opinions and plans about career, sexual identity, values and types of friends. These individuals may suddenly change from the role of a needy supplicant for help to a righteous avenger of past mistreatment. Although they usually have a self-image that is based on being bad or evil, individuals with borderline personality disorder may at times have feelings that they do not exist at all. Such experiences usually occur in situations in which the individual feels a lack of a meaningful relationship, nurturing and support. These individuals may show worse performance in unstructured work or school situations.

Answer 4

Basically it is a pattern of behavior learned early enough to impact how the person functions interpersonal relationships and emotionally. Personality disordered people tend to live a script (or drama) over and over and does impact the ability to manage relationships and employment. These individuals are overly focused on themselves and are oblivious to how their behaviors impact others. Borderline disordered people are very manipulative and they tend to always have an emergency that needs immediate responses from people around them. I have found them overly dramatic if they are in need. Hope this help you understand a bit better.

Answer 5

People who are diagnosed with borderline personality disorder have at least five of the following symptoms. They may:4

Make frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.

Have a pattern of difficult relationships caused by alternating between extremes of intense admiration and hatred of others.

Have an unstable self-image or be unsure of his or her own identity.

Act impulsively in ways that are self-damaging, such as extravagant spending, frequent and unprotected s*x with many partners, substance abuse, binge eating, or reckless driving.

Have recurring suicidal thoughts, make repeated suicide attempts, or cause self-injury through mutilation, such as cutting or burning himself or herself.

Have frequent emotional overreactions or intense mood swings, including feeling depressed, irritable, or anxious. These mood swings usually only last a few hours at a time. In rare cases, they may last a day or two.

Have long-term feelings of emptiness.

Have inappropriate, fierce anger or problems controlling anger. The person may often display temper tantrums or get into physical fights.

Have temporary episodes of feeling suspicious of others without reason (paranoia) or losing a sense of reality.

Not everyone who has five or more of these symptoms is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. For a person to be diagnosed with any personality disorder, the symptoms must be severe and must go on long enough to cause significant emotional distress or problems functioning in relationships or at work.4

Answer 6

Imagine narcissism on steroids....