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Borderline Personality Disorder Characteristics

In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), Borderline Personality Disorder is defined as an enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself in which there are problems in a variety of areas including interpersonal behavior, mood, and self-image.

People with Borderline Personality Disorder experience a wide range of difficulties. The most striking features of the disorder are the intensity of the person’s emotional reactions, the changeability of their moods, and the great variety of symptoms they present. These individuals may abruptly shift from a pervasive depressed mood to anxious agitation or intense anger; or they may impulsively engage in actions that they later recognize as irrational and counterproductive.

People who have Borderline Personality Disorder typically present an erratic, inconsistent, unpredictable pattern of problems, and may function competently and effectively in some areas of life, while manifesting dramatic problems in other areas. This inconsistency may also manifest in that they may function competently in a situation at one time and incompetently in the very same situation at another time.

These people are not necessarily in constant turmoil and may experience extended periods of stability. However, in addition to their Borderline Personality Disorder, they often manifest other problems, such as Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Major Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and/or Schizoaffective Disorder. They may also have issues with substance abuse, excessive gambling, risky sexual behavior, excessive spending and/or shoplifting, binge/purge eating, etc.

People with Borderline Personality Disorder hold extreme, poorly integrated views of relationships with their early caregivers and, as a result, hold extreme, unrealistic expectancies regarding their present interpersonal relationships. In fact, one of the essential features of a person with Borderline Personality Disorder is “a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships,” according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). They may seem needy and dependent one minute, and then push the person away the next minute. This has been termed a “love-hate relationship,” or the “push-pull cycle.”

People with Borderline Personality Disorder struggle with “cognitive distortions,” or distortions in their thinking; for example, they suffer from “splitting,” which is the term for “black-and-white thinking,” with nothing in-between. They see everything and everyone (including themselves) as “all good” or “all bad.” To them, life is either “extremely wonderful” or “extremely horrible.” Also, this splitting can happen in a matter of days, or even hours.

These emotional extremes can lead to extremes in behavior, as well, for the person who has Borderline Personality Disorder. Feelings of anger can lead quickly to rages, which can often lead to violent behavior. This behavior can be directed inward (self-mutilation) or outward (emotional or physical abuse toward others).

About the Author

David Oliver is the founder of BorderlineCentral.com a one stop source of information on how to cope and deal with borderline personality disorder.

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