What is borderline personality disorder?

According to Shiraev (2016) clinicians identify personality disorders by studying a person's symptoms that represent as abnormal in appearance, function, desire, or feeling. Clinicians then work with clients to diagnose, treat, and prevent and/or intervene with these symptoms. Dependent upon culture, symptoms may be seen as either desirable or undesirable, normal or abnormal (Shiraev, 2016). Thus, cultural context is important during the diagnosis process and must be carefully considered. Shiraev (2016) notes two points which must also be considered when studying personality disorders; that is, there is an excessive and consistent presence of certain traits that are outside the norm, and these traits must appear significantly different to what is considered normal within the persons cultural and/or social environment. However, BPD is considered an exception to this, as those meeting criteria for BPD have inconsistency or instability in their behavioral and emotional patterns (Shiraev, 2016). 

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) was introduced as a disorder in the DSM-3-R in 1987 and is described as a persistent pattern of instability and unpredictability in thought, emotion and behavior (Shiraev, 2016; APA, 2022). Individuals with a diagnosis of BPD typically experience unstable relationships with others, excessive changes in mood, fear of abandonment, and impulsivity (Shiraev, 2016; APA, 2022). Additionally, these individuals tend to have high neuroticism, extroversion, and openness, and low agreeableness and conscientiousness, when considering the Big Five Personality Traits (Shiraev, 2016; APA, 2022). Therefore, those with a diagnosis of BPD, overall tend to be neurotic, antagonistic, extroverted, unreliable, and open to experiences (Smith & Ruiz, 2004). 

Ways in which BPD can be distinguished from dependent and schizotypal personality disorder diagnoses are that individuals with BPD tend to be angry, demanding and manipulative in order to control or keep their place in a relationship, whereas a dependent person tends to be more agreeable (Shiraev, 2016). Moreover, borderline symptoms such as impulsivity, aggression, and recklessness, are uncommon for those who have a schizotypal diagnosis (Shiraev, 2016). Once properly diagnosed, it is crucial when working with those diagnosed with BPD to understand the diagnosis comes with a higher risk of suicidality and clinicians should avoid the assumption that such claims are attention seeking, as claims of suicidality should always be taken seriously (Shiraev, 2016). Furthermore, while those with a BPD diagnosis are sure to vary as it pertains to personality traits overall, there is some indication that traits associated with a BPD diagnosis are linked to negative health outcomes (Smith & Ruiz, 2004). 

References

1.    American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

2.    Shiraev, Eric. (2016). Personality theories: A global view. SAGE. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/waldenu/detail.action?docID=6403174

3.    Smith, T. W., & Ruiz, J. M. (2004). Personality theory and research in the study of health and behavior. In Handbook of clinical health psychology: Volume 3. Models and perspectives in health psychology (pp. 143–199). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11590-005


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BPD and homotypic and heterotypic continuity: Interaction of developmental processes and personality

BPD and concepts of homotypic and heterotypic continuity According to Sharp et al. (2007) a juvenile diagnosis of BPD is highly discouraged, thus making it difficult to study the continuity of symptoms across the lifespan. Studying BPD through a lens of heterotypic and homotypic continuity can shed light on how the disorder develops and persists over time, however, due to strong recommendations against diagnosing adolescents with BPD, these studies are scarce (Sharp et al., 2007).  Personality psychologists have attempted to determine stability versus change in development of personality over time. The use of the construct of continuity can assist with expanding the knowledge of how pathology develops and changes (Speranza et al., 2023; Sharp et al., 2007). The construct of continuity refers to the "consistency, similarity and predictability of behavior or internal states across different developmental stages" and in this case refers to psychological structures, traits and/or...
Read more

Professional Introduction

My name is Stephanie Waldron. I am currently attending Walden University, where I am a clinical psychology doctoral student.  I have two bachelor's degrees in criminal justice with a concentration in forensic science and psychology, both obtained from California State University, Stanislaus. I have also completed all coursework for two master's degrees in criminal justice from California State University, Stanislaus and psychology, from Santa Clara University, before transferring to Walden University to pursue my PhD. I am currently a member of several organizations including the Alternatives to Violence Project, where I am a team coordinator, the American Evaluation Association, the Association of Criminal Justice Research, the International Honor Society in Psychology, and Golden Key International Honour Society. I have held multiple positions that have allowed me to gain a well-rounded background in the fields of criminal justice and psychology. I started my career at the Co...
Read more