A mental illness is an illness that affects a person’s behaviour primarily rather than their physical well-being. BPD is considered by medical practitioners to be a severe psychiatric disorder. It is recognised as such by the DSM IV. (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 4th edition)





The term "borderline" comes from the assessment in the 1940s that the disorder was on the border between psychosis and neurosis. But that analysis is no longer relevant. BPD is best understood as a disorder of mood and how a person interacts with others. It is also known as ‘Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder.’



A doctor will diagnose Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in persons who have 5 or more of the following symptoms and if the symptoms have a significant impact on them. (Green text is my explanation as some people can get confused as to what it means)



• Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.   Being scared of being alone, of a break up in a personal relationship or of losing a person you are close to, with or without a valid reason for these thoughts.
• A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating extremes of idealization and devaluation.   Love/ hate relationships, black and white thinking - no in-between.
• Identity disturbance: markedly and persistantly unstable self image or sense of self.  Severe dislike of yourself in looks/ or a feeling of not knowing who you are.
• Impulsiveness in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging  (e.g, spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating).  Doing things that are going to cause negative repercussions.
• Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, threats or self mutilating behavior.  Self harm and thoughts of / attempted suicide.
• Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g, intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).  Feeling hyper or manic / extremely depressed or worried.
• Chronic feelings of emptiness.  Who am I?  What is the point of my life? Where do I fit in?
• Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g, frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights).   Rage, hatred, breaking things, hurting others.
• .Transient, stress related paranoid ideation or severe disassociative symptoms. Loosing grip on reality, zoning out, reliving traumatic experiences in your head.



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What is BPD?