Borderline Personality Disorder
Recognizing Emerging Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a very controversial diagnosis in psychology. A person suffering from BPD fears being abandoned and will take any action necessary to avoid this happening. Self-manipulation by slashing parts of the body, recurrent overdosing, persistent delinquency, sexual promiscuity, various addictions and other acts designed to prove that the sufferer requires constant care and attention are typical symptoms.
A common trait is "splitting". The borderline case will see themselves and others as being either all good or all bad. Someone may be the best one day, and genuinely 'loved', but if they disagree in any way they suddenly become completely bad and evil and is completely 'hated'. The borderline case has no conception of there being good and bad in people at the same time.
There is a desperate need for affection and reassurance in borderline cases, and the feeling of 'needing' someone else in order to survive.
Symptoms such as an intolerance of 'aloneness' and fear of abandonment indicate that people with borderline personality disorder have severe problems with relationships. They tend to be very sensitive to criticism or rejection, have a great need for 'affection' and 'reassurance' and a feeling of 'needing' someone else in order to survive, yet find it difficult to trust others and even themselves. These are just some of the many symptoms which may develop in these personalities, some others may be chronic anxiety, impulse control problems, and a several other defences.
Borderline Personality Disorder has been recognised since the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, 3rd Edition (a manual which is used by mental health professionals), included it as a condition in 1980, although many characteristics of BPD have been acknowledged since 1930.
Aspects of Borderline Personality Disorder Behaviours
The most severely affected cases are those with difficulty establishing relationships. They may be depressed, lonely, show anger towards others and experience periods of psychosis together with periods of inappropriate maladaptive behaviours. A typical borderline can be described as someone seeking affection and companionship. Although they seek affection they show very little towards others. They may show the need for affection, but tend to become angry and anxious during a relationship, and have a morbid fear of loneliness.
Others can become withdrawn and isolated; they wait for someone to identify them and behave in a similar manner to someone to whom they have formed an attachment. They try to be like them. Some cases of borderline personality disorder are able to form relationships, but lack giving and input to the relationship. They develop stormy relationships which are introspective and self-orientated and characterized by crying, complaining, dependency and frequent self-destructive behaviours designed to prompt rescue, such as mutilation or manipulative suicidal gestures.
According to cognitive-behavioural theories, BPD sufferers tends to divide their thinking about themselves and others into specific parts. Everything is black or white, all or nothing. The actions of a person are not taken as a whole, but as individual parts, each having to be analyzed for its specific purpose or meaning.
According to the socio-cultural perspective, the pressures of society on family and individual lead to dysfunctionality, and a lack of clearly defined cultural standards and expectations are experienced. Humanistic perspective explains that due to the needs of the individual not being motivated, it is incapable of reaching self-actualization; development and growth of the individual are therefore restricted.
In conclusion, it is not only the person with BPD who is struggling in society, but family, friends and others go through difficult times as well. Those dealing with an individual suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder need support, whether from professionals or from each other.
Details of programs for research and treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder are available from U.S. National Institutes of Mental Health, and PsychNet-UK can also give information and advice.