Borderline whaaaat? Borderline personality disorder is an Axis II psychiatric illness. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders categorizes Axis II disorders as stable and durable disturbances in psychological function categorized by the following:
Intense abandonment fears - The person will go to great, often irrational lengths to avoid being abandoned by friends and loved ones. This includes real and perceived abandonment. People with BPD are typically insecure and hypersensitive to signs of rejection and abandonment, which means they sometimes see it where it really is not.
Emotional disregulation - In other words, rapid-cycling mood swings. While bipolar disorder, for example, features alternating periods of depression and mania, each lasting several days or even weeks, mood swings in BPD are much more frequent and abrupt. A person with BPD can be angry, depressed, joyful, and bored in one afternoon.
Self-destructive impulsivity - This includes such behaviours as compulsive spending, casual sex, substance abuse, gambling addiction, and shoplifting.
A pattern of black-and-white thinking - They perceive themselves, others and the world around them as either "all good" or "all bad". Their perception of another person, for example, will vary from complete idealization ("She can do no wrong.") to complete devaluation ("She is a cruel, evil person."). This tends to compromise the stability of the BP's relationships with other people. This is termed "splitting."
Self-injury - Though this is not reported in all cases, around 75% of people with BPD who seek mental health treatment self-injure in some way.
Suicidal behaviour - This includes suicidal ideation (thinking about or considering suicide) and suicide attempts. Suicidal behaviour in BPD can also arise when the person feels threatened with abandonment.
Identity disturbances - People with BPD typically cannot see very far into the future (e,g,. have trouble setting long-term goals for themselves) because they have a handle on their authentic self.
Inappropriate and uncontrollable anger- This is extremely damaging to relationships. People with crave close relationships, then unwittingly sabotage them.
Dissociation- (a feeling of detachment from one's body and actions) or paranoid ideation as a reaction to stress - This usually happens in more severe cases of the disorder.
Chronic feelings of emptiness-This is associated with identity problems.
People struggling with BPD already have enough on their plate without having to deal with the stigma and lack of understanding associated to their disorder. We can change that! You've already helped to make a difference by reading this article.
Let's all do our part during May to help raise awareness for borderline personality disorder, so it can finally be recognized as the serious mental health issue it is
