Indicators of Borderline Personality Syndrome
In the modern field of psychology, the borderline personality disorder, or BPD, is one of the hardest ones to diagnose. It is this sort of controversial nature of diagnosis that results from the inability of doctors to determine what this disease really is, what triggers it, and how it can be treated.
A good way to characterize borderline personality disorder is to look at how it parallels another psychiatric condition: bipolar disorder. This is because both conditions are characterized by impulsive behaviour and moods almost instantly changing.
While the mood swings of someone with a bipolar disorder can persist for long periods and years, those with borderline personality disorder will have mood swings that last for at least some hours and stretch to only a couple of days.
As characteristic of people with unstable psychiatric states, people who suffer from both bipolar disorder and BPD are unable to sustain the lives they lead, being unable to maintain relationships and fulfil responsibilities at home and at work.
Another differentiating characteristic of people suffering from BPD is that they tend to have a rather distorted view of the world. They tend to have an extremely pessimistic view of the world, defining things in a binary manner: black and white, good and evil. This binary view of the world is exactly how their moods are: on the extreme. If they like one friend one day, they can as easily despise that person the next.
Moreover, those who suffer from BPD willingly subject themselves to this dichotomy in their worldview. However, more often than not, they cast themselves in a negative light and classify themselves as being evil. As a result, they tend to have little self-worth, and often feel like they are invisible to the people around them. This often drives their suicidal drives-thoughts and actions.
What triggers BPD is still largely unknown; however, many people believe that it is often triggered by any traumatic event, especially something along the lines of childhood sexual and physical abuse. This conclusion was drawn from the fact that many of the individuals diagnosed with BPD were in fact, victims of abuse in their youth. In the early stages of the development of studies in BPD, it was originally considered as a manifestation of what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Borderline personality disorder is similar to many psychiatric conditions, in that it is characterized by many different indicators and manifestations. Anyone suffering from BPD must display five or more of these specific indicators: a shifting image of the self, suicidal tendencies, impulsive behavior, paranoia over being abandoned, unfounded anger, a general feeling of emptiness, mood swings, generic paranoia, and the inability to sustain relationships.
The wealth of symptoms-and the fact that it takes only five to get diagnosed-has led to the consequence of two people suffering from the same disorder but having a completely different set of at least five BPD indicators. This is the reason behind the disease’s controversial nature.
The controversy behind diagnosing BPD has not hindered those in BPD advocacy groups to argue that BPD is actually a far more common disorder than people think. In fact, many believe that 2% of the entire population may be suffering from BPD, while 20% of those suffering from psychiatric disorders are suffering from BPD.
Continuous research is being done in order to treat and medicate BPD. This has allowed many people who were previously diagnose to return and live their normal lives again.
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