What is borderline personality disorder?

Question

What is borderline personality disorder?

Answer 1

Your best bet for answers to these questions is the national insitute of mental health website: http://nimh.nih.gov/.

Click on "mental health topics," then on the new page, on the left, click on "borderline personality disorder."  you will have excellent info, of which the symptoms.

Answer 2

Borderline personality disorder: The central feature of borderline personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships, self-perception, and moods. Impulse control is markedly impaired. Transiently, such patients may appear psychotic because of the intensity of their distortions. Borderline personality disorder is one of the most commonly overused diagnoses in DSM-IV-TR. Diagnostic criteria require at least 5 of the following features:

Frantic efforts to avoid expected abandonment

Unstable and intense interpersonal relationships

Markedly and persistently unstable self-image

Impulsivity in at least 2 areas that are potentially self-damaging (eg, s*x, substance abuse, reckless driving)

Recurrent suicidal behaviors or threats or self-mutilation

Affective instability

Chronic feelings of emptiness

Inappropriate and intense anger

Transient paranoia or dissociation

Answer 3

Hi,

I have BPD and will try my best to describe it and what it's like to live with. It's only when your diagnosed or start reading about BPD that you realise you have maybe carried the traits of it for years. Things that you thought were unique to your personality or were faults in your persobnality where actually part of this condition.

There are traits to BPD that have to have been recognised in a patient, usually over an extended period before diagnosis happens.

The traits are:

* AN IRRATIONAL FEAR OF ABANDONMENT AND AN INABILITY TO BE ALONE*- This is usually a big trait in people with BPD like myself, i find that i feel very needy to be with people, to be approved of and I don't want people to leave me or go out of my life and I fear this a lot, even about professional people such as counsellors etc who i become very attached to, the feeling of loss is so unbearable for someone with BPD that it just feels like grieving of a loved ones death and the pain feels like it won't ever leave

* OVERSENSITIVITY TO REAL OR IMAGINED REJECTION- Again this is similar to above. It can be as simple as someone not ringing you when they said they would or feeling your friend likes another friends company better, or if your partner decides to go out for a drink with his/her mates instead of being with you a BPD sufferer will take this as rejection and it will have very bad knock on effects on their self esteem, often leading to self hatred or self harming actions as people with BPD often feel they are at fault for people not wanting to be with them or if people don't show they care.

*A SHAKY SENSE OF IDENITY- this can be not really knowing yourself well, not being able to identify what you like, dislike, what you want from life, if you have any goals and can even delve into sexual idenity also. Many people with BPD can crave so much for love and acceptance that they often change their idenity to fit the people or the siuation they are in.

*SUDDEN VIOLENT OUTBURSTS- usually this is caused by irrational thoughts that people are against you, or being mad at being rejected or just very high feelings of self hatred.

* BRIEF TURBULANT AFFAIRS- most people with BPD have shaky relationship, sometime sthey are so needy and want the other person to show that they care etc and test them, often in what can be seen as manipulative behaviours, such as telling someone that if they leave you will commit suicide or harm yourself, thus making them stay, however most people with BPD find the harder they test people and the more they try to keep people to close the more they loose people and inturn feel rejected and the cycle goes on

* SELF DESTRUCTIVE TENDANCIES SUCH AS SELF HARMING, EATING DISORDERS, EXCESSIVE DRINK OR DRUG ABUSE ETC- Many people with BPD have a very low opinion of them selves and this can lead to self destructive behaviour but also because they can't cope with the outside world and the relationships between people this can lead to them using dangerous ways to cope. Sometimes people with BPD will use self destruction as a way to get the attention or help they need or feel they need and in this way it can be seen as manipulative but for the borderline it is their way of coping. Many people with BPD have been found to have suffered trauma in their childhoods and the self harming can also be as a result of this.

* FREQUENT PERIODS OF INTENSE DEPRESSION- In many books this can say that it usually only lasts for a brief period of 2-3 days however in my case I also suffer with depression and it is pretty long term. it is often noted people with BPD have other mental health problems too.

I hoped this has helped you a little and if you need anymore advice feel free to email me. I am not a professional but I have the condition and have read many books about it and do see professionalists about my problems

thanks, best wishes

x*x