Emotionally unstable personality disorder
Classification and external resources
ICD-10	(F60.3)
ICD-9	301.83
MeSH	D001883

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder described as a prolonged disturbance of personality function in a person over the age of eighteen years, characterized by depth and variability of moods.^[1] The disorder typically involves unusual levels of instability in mood; "black and white" thinking, or splitting; chaotic and unstable interpersonal relationships, self-image, identity, and behavior; as well as a disturbance in the individual's sense of self. In extreme cases, this disturbance in the sense of self can lead to periods of dissociation.^[2]

These disturbances can have a pervasive negative impact on many or all of the psychosocial facets of life. This includes difficulties maintaining relationships in work, home and social settings. Attempted suicide and completed suicide are possible outcomes, especially without proper care and effective therapy.^[3]

Because the term no longer reflects current thinking, there is an ongoing debate concerning whether this disorder should be renamed.^[4] There is related concern that the diagnosis stigmatizes people, usually women, and supports pejorative and discriminatory practices.^[5]

People suffering from borderline personality disorder and their families often feel the hardships are compounded by a lack of clear diagnoses, effective treatments, and accurate information. At their request, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously declared the month of May as Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month (H. Res. 1005, 4/1/08), citing BPD's "prevalence, enormous public health costs, and ... devastating toll on individuals, families, and communities."

Contents 1 Signs and symptoms 2 Diagnosis 2.1 Adolescence 2.2 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 2.3 International Classification of Disease 2.4 Chinese Society of Psychiatry 2.5 Millon's subtypes 2.6 Differential diagnosis 3 Causes 3.1 Childhood abuse 3.2 Other developmental factors 3.3 Genetics 3.4 Neurofunction 3.5 Mediators and moderators 4 Management 4.1 Psychotherapy 4.2 Medication 4.3 Services and recovery 5 Epidemiology 6 History 7 Society and culture 8 Controversies 8.1 Gender 8.2 Stigma 8.3 Terminology 9 See also 10 Footnotes 11 Further reading 11.1 General 11.2 Borderline parents 11.3 Narcissistic/borderline couples 12 External links

[edit] Signs and symptoms

Borderline Personality Disorder is a disorder about which many articles and books have been written, yet about which very little is known based on empirical research.^[6]

Studies suggest that individuals with BPD tend to experience frequent, strong and long-lasting states of aversive tension, often triggered by perceived rejection, being alone or perceived failure.^[7] Individuals with BPD may show lability (changeability) between anger and anxiety or between depression and anxiety^[8] and temperamental sensitivity to emotive stimuli.^[9]

The negative emotional states particularly associated with BPD have been grouped into four categories: extreme feelings in general; feelings of destructiveness or self-destructiveness; feelings of fragmentation or lack of identity; and feelings of victimization.^[10]

Individuals with BPD can be very sensitive to the way others treat them, reacting strongly to perceived criticism or hurtfulness. Their feelings about others often shift from positive to negative, generally after a disappointment or perceived threat of losing someone. Self-image can also change rapidly from extremely positive to extremely negative. Impulsive behaviors are common, including alcohol or drug abuse, unsafe sex, gambling and recklessness in general.^[11] Attachment studies suggest individuals with BPD, while being high in intimacy- or novelty-seeking, can be hyper-alert^[6] to signs of rejection or not being valued and tend toward insecure, avoidant or ambivalent, or fearfully preoccupied patterns in relationships.^[12] They tend to view the world generally as dangerous and malevolent, and themselves as powerless, vulnerable, unacceptable and unsure in self-identity.^[6]

Individuals with BPD are often described, including by some mental health professionals (and in the DSM-IV),^[13] as deliberately manipulative or difficult, but analysis and findings generally trace behaviors to inner pain and turmoil, powerlessness and defensive reactions, or limited coping and communication skills.^[14][15][16] There has been limited research on family members' understanding of borderline personality disorder and the extent of burden or negative emotion experienced or expressed by family members.^[17]

Parents of individuals with BPD have been reported to show co-existing extremes of over-involvement and under-involvement.^[18] BPD has been linked to increased levels of chronic stress and conflict in romantic relationships, decreased satisfaction of romantic partners, abuse and unwanted pregnancy; these links may largely be general to personality disorder and subsyndromal problems,^[19] but such issues are commonly raised in support groups and published literature for partners of individuals with BPD.^{[citation needed]}

Suicidal or self-harming behavior is one of the core diagnostic criteria in DSM IV-TR, and management of and recovery from this can be complex and challenging.^[20] The suicide rate is approximately 8 to 10 percent.^[21] Self-injury attempts are highly common among patients and may or may not be carried out with suicidal intent.^[22][23] BPD is often characterized by multiple low-lethality suicide attempts triggered by seemingly minor incidents, and less commonly by high-lethality attempts that are attributed to impulsiveness or comorbid major depression, with interpersonal stressors appearing to be particularly common triggers.^[24] Ongoing family interactions and associated vulnerabilities can lead to self-destructive behavior.^[18] Stressful life events related to sexual abuse have been found to be a particular trigger for suicide attempts by adolescents with a BPD diagnosis.^[25]

[edit] Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based on a clinical assessment by a qualified mental health professional. The assessment incorporates the patient's self-reported experiences as well as the clinician's observations. The resulting profile may be supported or corroborated by long-term patterns of behavior as reported by family members, friends or co-workers. The list of criteria that must be met for diagnosis is outlined in the DSM-IV-TR.^[2]

Borderline personality disorder was once classified as a subset of schizophrenia (describing patients with borderline schizophrenic tendencies). Today BPD is considered a relatively stable personality disorder and is used more generally to describe non-psychotic individuals who display emotional dysregulation, splitting and an unstable self-image.^{[citation needed]}

Individuals with BPD are at high risk of developing other psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. Other symptoms of BPD, such as dissociation, are frequently linked to severely traumatic childhood experiences, which some put forth as one of the many root causes of the borderline personality. BPD has many similar characteristics to emotionally unstable personality disorder, subtype borderline; and complex post-traumatic stress disorder.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Adolescence

Onset of symptoms typically occurs during adolescence or young adulthood. Symptoms may persist for several years, but the majority of symptoms lessen in severity over time,^[3] with some individuals fully recovering. The mainstay of treatment is various forms of psychotherapy, although medication and other approaches may also improve symptoms. While borderline personality disorder can manifest itself in children and teenagers, therapists are discouraged from diagnosing anyone before the age of 18, due to adolescence and a still-developing personality.

There are some instances when BPD can be evident and diagnosed before the age of 18. The DSM-IV states: "To diagnose a personality disorder in an individual under 18 years, the features must have been present for at least 1 year." In other words, it is possible to diagnose the disorder in children and adolescents, but a more conservative approach should be taken.

There is some evidence that BPD diagnosed in adolescence is predictive of the disease continuing into adulthood. It is possible that the diagnosis, if applicable, would be helpful in creating a more effective treatment plan for the child or teen.^[2][26]

[edit] Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition, DSM IV-TR, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders, defines borderline personality disorder (in Axis II Cluster B) as:^[2][13]

A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affects, as well as marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Note: Do not include suicidal or self-injuring behavior covered in Criterion 5
2. A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
3. Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.
4. Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., promiscuous sex, eating disorders, binge eating, substance abuse, reckless driving). Note: Do not include suicidal or self-injuring behavior covered in Criterion 5
5. Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, threats or self-injuring behavior such as cutting, interfering with the healing of scars (excoriation) or picking at oneself.
6. 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).
7. Chronic feelings of emptiness
8. Inappropriate anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights).
9. Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation, delusions or severe dissociative symptoms

It is a requirement of DSM-IV that a diagnosis of any specific personality disorder also satisfies a set of general personality disorder criteria.

[edit] International Classification of Disease

The World Health Organization's ICD-10 defines a conceptually similar disorder to borderline personality disorder called (F60.3) Emotionally unstable personality disorder. It has two subtypes described below.^[27]

F60.30 Impulsive type

At least three of the following must be present, one of which must be (2):

1. marked tendency to act unexpectedly and without consideration of the consequences;
2. marked tendency to quarrelsome behaviour and to conflicts with others, especially when impulsive acts are thwarted or criticized;
3. liability to outbursts of anger or violence, with inability to control the resulting behavioural explosions;
4. difficulty in maintaining any course of action that offers no immediate reward;
5. unstable and capricious mood.

It is a requirement of ICD-10 that a diagnosis of any specific personality disorder also satisfies a set of general personality disorder criteria.

F60.31 Borderline type

At least three of the symptoms mentioned in F60.30 Impulsive type must be present [see above], with at least two of the following in addition:

1. disturbances in and uncertainty about self-image, aims, and internal preferences (including sexual);
2. liability to become involved in intense and unstable relationships, often leading to emotional crisis;
3. excessive efforts to avoid abandonment;
4. recurrent threats or acts of self-harm;
5. chronic feelings of emptiness.

It is a requirement of ICD-10 that a diagnosis of any specific personality disorder also satisfies a set of general personality disorder criteria.

[edit] Chinese Society of Psychiatry

The Chinese Society of Psychiatry's CCMD has a comparable diagnosis of Impulsive Personality Disorder (IPD). A patient diagnosed as having IPD must display "affective outbursts" and "marked impulsive behavior," plus at least three out of eight other symptoms. The construct has been described as a hybrid of the impulsive and borderline subtypes of the ICD-10's Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, and also incorporates six of the nine DSM BPD criteria.^[28]

[edit] Millon's subtypes

Theodore Millon identified four subtypes of borderline ^[29][30]. Any individual borderline may exhibit none or one of the following:

• discouraged borderline - including avoidant, depressive or dependent features

• impulsive borderline - including histrionic or antisocial features

• petulant borderline - including negativistic (passive-aggressive) features.

• self-destructive borderline - including depressive or masochistic features

[edit] Differential diagnosis

Common comorbid (co-occurring) conditions are mental disorders such as substance abuse, depression and other mood, and personality disorders.

Borderline personality disorder and mood disorders often appear concurrently.^[3] Some features of borderline personality disorder may overlap with those of mood disorders, complicating the differential diagnostic assessment.^[31][32][33]

Both diagnoses involve symptoms commonly known as "mood swings." In borderline personality disorder, the term refers to the marked lability and reactivity of mood defined as emotional dysregulation.^{[citation needed]} The behavior is typically in response to external psychosocial and intrapsychic stressors, and may arise or subside, or both, suddenly and dramatically and last for seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or months .^{[citation needed]}

Bipolar depression is generally more pervasive with sleep and appetite disturbances, as well as a marked nonreactivity of mood, whereas mood with respect to borderline personality and co-occurring dysthymia remains markedly reactive and sleep disturbance not acute.^[34]

The relationship between bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder has been debated. Some hold that the latter represents a subthreshold form of affective disorder,^[35][36] while others maintain the distinctness between the disorders, noting they often co-occur.^[37][38]

Some findings suggest that BPD may lie on a bipolar spectrum, with a number of points of phenomenological and biological overlap between the affective lability criterion of borderline personality disorder and the extremely rapid cycling bipolar disorders.^[39][40] Some findings suggest that the DSM-IV BPD diagnosis mixes up two sets of unrelated items—an affective instability dimension related to Bipolar-II, and an impulsivity dimension not related to Bipolar-II.^[41]

It is important to emphasize that medical conditions which cause organic behavioral function may result in a clinical picture that mimics to some degree BPD. Hormonal dysfunction over a long period, or brain dysfunction (e.g. the encephalopathy caused by lyme disease) can result in identity disturbance and mood lability, as can many other chronic medical conditions such as lupus. These conditions may isolate the patient socially and emotionally, and/or cause limbic damage to the brain. However, this is not borderline personality disorder which results, but rather a reaction to the isolating circumstances caused by a medical condition and the possibly coincident struggles of the patient to control his or her mood given damage to the brain's limbic system. Heavy alcohol usage over a long period itself can cause an encephalopathy which may cause limbic damage. Various frontal lobe syndromes can result in disinhibition and impulsive behavior.

Comorbid (co-occurring) conditions in BPD are common. When comparing individuals diagnosed with BPD to those diagnosed with other personality disorders, the former showed a higher rate of also meeting criteria for:^[42]

• anxiety disorders
• mood disorders (including clinical depression and bipolar disorder)
• eating disorders (including anorexia nervosa and bulimia)
• and, to a lesser extent, somatoform or factitious disorders
• dissociative disorders; if all DSM criteria are met, it is recommended that the person should also be tested to have Dissociative Identity Disorder.^{[citation needed]}

Substance abuse is a common problem in BPD, whether due to impulsivity or as a coping mechanism, and 50 percent to 70 percent of psychiatric inpatients with BPD have been found to meet criteria for a substance use disorder, especially alcohol dependence or abuse which is often combined with the abuse of other drugs.^[43]

[edit] Causes

As with other mental disorders, the causes of BPD are complex and unknown.^[4] One finding is a history of childhood trauma, abuse or neglect,^[44] although researchers have suggested diverse possible causes, such as a genetic predisposition, neurobiological factors, environmental factors, or brain abnormalities.^[4]

At least one researcher believes BPD results from a combination that can involve a traumatic childhood, a vulnerable temperament and stressful maturational events during adolescence or adulthood.^[45]

[edit] Childhood abuse

Numerous studies have shown a strong correlation between child abuse, especially child sexual abuse, and development of BPD.^{[44][46][47][48][49]} Many individuals with BPD report have had a history of abuse and neglect as young children.^[50] Patients with BPD have been found to be significantly more likely to report having been verbally, emotionally, physically or sexually abused by caregivers of either gender. There has also been a high incidence of incest and loss of caregivers in early childhood for people with Borderline Personality Disorder. They were also much more likely to report having caregivers (of both genders) deny the validity of their thoughts and feelings. They were also reported to have failed to provide needed protection, and neglected their child's physical care. Parents (of both sexes) were typically reported to have withdrawn from the child emotionally, and to have treated the child inconsistently. Additionally, women with BPD who reported a previous history of neglect by a female caregiver and abuse by a male caregiver were consequently at significantly higher risk for being sexually abused by a noncaregiver (not a parent).^[51] It has been suggested that children who experience chronic early maltreatment and attachment difficulties may go on to develop borderline personality disorder.^[52]

[edit] Other developmental factors

Some studies suggest that BPD may not necessarily be a trauma-spectrum disorder and that it is biologically distinct from the post-traumatic stress disorder that could be a precursor. The personality symptom clusters seem to be related to specific abuses, but they may be related to more persistent aspects of interpersonal and family environments in childhood.

Otto Kernberg formulated the theory of Borderline Personality based on a premise of failure to develop in childhood. Writing in the psychoanalytic tradition, Kernberg argued that failure to achieve the developmental task of psychic clarification of self and other can result in an increased risk to develop varieties of psychosis, while failure to overcome splitting results in an increased risk to develop a borderline personality.^[53]

[edit] Genetics

An overview of the existing literature suggested that traits related to BPD are influenced by genes.^[54] A major twin study found that if one identical twin met criteria for BPD, the other also met criteria in 35 percent of cases. People that have BPD influenced by genes usually have a close relative with the disorder.^[55]

Twin, sibling and other family studies indicate a partially heritable basis for impulsive aggression, but studies of serotonin-related genes to date have suggested only modest contributions to behavior.^[56]

[edit] Neurofunction

Neurotransmitters implicated in BPD include serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine (related to various emotions and moods); GABA, the brain's major inhibitory neurotransmitter (which can stabilize mood change); and glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter. Enhanced amygdala activation in BPD has been identified by some researchers as reflecting the intense and slowly subsiding emotions commonly observed in BPD in response to even low-level stressors.^[57] It is thought by some researchers the activation of both the amygdala and prefrontal cortical areas can reflect attempts to control intensive emotions during the recall of unresolved life events.^[58] Impulsivity or aggression, as sometimes seen in BPD, has been linked to alterations in serotonin function and specific brain regions in the cingulate and the medial and orbital prefrontal cortex by some researchers.^[56]

[edit] Mediators and moderators

While research has examined variables that predict the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD), researchers have only recently begun to examine the variables that mediate and moderate the relationships between these variables and the development of the disorder. A mediator is a variable that effects how the relationship occurs. Mediation is said to be present when both the predictor variable and the mediating variable are significantly correlated with the dependent variable, and when the relationship between the predictor variable and the outcome variable is significantly reduced when controlling for the mediating variable.^[59] A moderating variable by contrast specifies the conditions under which a given outcome will occur. Moderation is said to occur when there is an interaction effect between the predicting variable and the moderating variable on the dependent variable.^[59] More specifically, the effect of the predicting variable is different depending on the level of the moderating variable.

Research has found statistically significant relationships between BPD symptoms and both sexual and physical abuse. Other factors including family environment variables also contribute to the development of the disorder.^[60] Bradley et al.^[60] found that both child sexual abuse (CSA) and childhood physical abuse and BPD symptoms were significantly related, and both CSA and childhood physical abuse were significantly related to family environment. When family environment and childhood physical abuse were entered simultaneously into a regression equation, family environment was related to BPD symptoms and childhood physical abuse was related to BPD symptoms, although the relationship between BPD symptoms and childhood physical abuse was reduced. Therefore, CSA and childhood physical abuse both directly influence the development of BPD symptoms directly and are mediated by family environment.^[60]

Other research has examined the relationship between negative affectivity, thought suppression and BPD symptoms. The results of the mediational models in this study found that thought suppression mediated the relationship between negative affectivity and BPD symptoms.^[61] While negative affectivity significantly predicted BPD symptoms after controlling for CSA, this relationship was greatly reduced when thought suppression was introduced into the model. Thus, the relationship of negative affectivity to BPD symptoms is mediated by thought suppression.

Ayduk et al. (2008)^[62] found an interaction between rejection sensitivity and executive control in the prediction of BPD symptoms. This study found that BPD features were positively associated with rejection sensitivity (RS) and neuroticism and negatively associated with emotional control (EC). Their statistical analysis indicated that among those low in EC, RS was positively related to BPD features and among those high in RS, EC was negatively associated with BPD. By contrast, among those high in EC, RS was not significantly related to BP features, and among those low in RS, EC was not related to BPD features. In Study 2, BPD features were positively correlated to RS and negatively correlated with executive control. Additionally, the authors found that delay gratification times at age 4 had no significant relationship with BPD features at the time of the current study. Again, as in Study 1, the RS x EC interaction was significant. Among those low in EC, RS was positively related to BPD features, while among those high in EC, the effect of RS was reduced to marginal significance. Moreover, among those high in RS, EC was negatively associated with BPD features, but among those low in RS, EC was unrelated to BPD features.

Parker, Boldero and Bell (2006)^[63] indicated that both AI and AO self-discrepancy magnitudes were strongly correlated to each other and to BPD features. Self-complexity was not significantly related to any of the other factors. Among those high in self-complexity, the relationship between AI self-discrepancy magnitudes and BPD features was lower than among those with less self-complexity. Actual-ought self-discrepancy relationship with BPD features was not significantly moderated by self-complexity.

BPD is complex, and several factors have an impact on whether clinical features of BPD are present. None of the prediction factors above are sufficient to be the key factor in the development of BPD features. Increased knowledge of the development of the disorder may help prevent symptom aggravation and identify new treatment strategies. Future research should integrate the knowledge gained from these areas and study these variables simultaneously. Studies in which these variables are simultaneously examined would provide greater specificity in the relationships between the variables. These articles taken together not only increase our knowledge of what factors and variables lead to the development of BPD features and BPD itself but also, when taken together, indicate future lines of research yet to be studied.

[edit] Management

The mainstay of treatment is various forms of psychotherapy with medications of little use.

[edit] Psychotherapy

There has traditionally been skepticism about the psychological treatment of personality disorders, but several specific types of psychotherapy for BPD have developed in recent years. The limited studies to date do not allow confident claims of effectiveness but do suggest that people with BPD can benefit on at least some outcome measures.^[64] Supportive therapy alone may enhance self-esteem and mobilize the existing strengths of individuals with BPD.^[65] Specific psychotherapies may involve sessions over several months or, as is particularly common for personality disorders, several years. Psychotherapy can often be conducted either with individuals or with groups. Group therapy can aid the learning and practice of interpersonal skills and self-awareness by individuals with BPD,^[66] though drop-out rates may be problematic.^[67] Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is an innovative method of treatment that has been developed specifically to treat this difficult group of patients in a way which is optimistic and which preserves the morale of the therapist. The technique has been devised by Marsha Linehan at the University of Washington in Seattle and its effectiveness has been demonstrated in a controlled study (reference http://priory.com/dbt.htm)

[edit] Medication

The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2009 recommends against the use of medication for treating borderline personality disorder and that they should only be considered for comorbid conditions.^[68] A Cochrane review from 2006 arrived at the same conclusion.^[69]

[edit] Services and recovery

Individuals with BPD sometimes use mental health services extensively. People with this diagnosis accounted for about 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations in one survey.^[70] The majority of BPD patients continue to use outpatient treatment in a sustained manner for several years, but the number using the more restrictive and costly forms of treatment, such as inpatient admission, declines with time.^[71] Experience of services varies.^[72] Assessing suicide risk can be a challenge for mental health services (and patients themselves tend to underestimate the lethality of self-injurious behaviours) with typically a chronically elevated risk of suicide much above that of the general population and a history of multiple attempts when in crisis.^[73]

Particular difficulties have been observed in the relationship between care providers and individuals diagnosed with BPD. A majority of psychiatric staff report finding individuals with BPD moderately to extremely difficult to work with, and more difficult than other client groups.^[74] On the other hand, those with the diagnosis of BPD have reported that the term "BPD" felt like a pejorative label rather than a helpful diagnosis, that self-destructive behaviour was incorrectly perceived as manipulative, and that they had limited access to care.^[75] Attempts are made to improve public and staff attitudes.^[76][77]

[edit] Epidemiology

The prevalence of BPD in the general population ranges from 1 to 2 percent.^[78][79] The diagnosis appears to be several times more common in (especially young) women than in men, by as much as 3:1, according to the DSM-IV-TR,^[2] although the reasons for this are not clear.^[80]

The prevalence of BPD in the United States has been calculated as 1 percent to 3 percent of the adult population,^[4] with approximately 75 percent of those diagnosed being female.^[81] It has been found to account for 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations.

[edit] History

Since the earliest record of medical history, the coexistence of intense, divergent moods within an individual has been recognized by such writers as Homer, Hippocrates and Aretaeus, the last describing the vacillating presence of impulsive anger, melancholia and mania within a single person. After medieval suppression of the concept, it was revived by Bonet in 1684, who, using the term folie maniaco-mélancolique, noted the erratic and unstable moods with periodic highs and lows that rarely followed a regular course. His observations were followed by those of other writers who noted the same pattern, including writers such as the American psychiatrist C. Hughes in 1884 and J.C. Rosse in 1890, who described "borderline insanity." Kraepelin, in 1921, identified an "excitable personality" that closely parallels the borderline features outlined in the current concept of borderline.^[1]

Adolf Stern wrote the first significant psychoanalytic work to use the term "borderline" in 1938, referring to a group of patients with what was thought to be a mild form of schizophrenia, on the borderline between neurosis and psychosis. For the next decade the term was in popular and colloquial use, a loosely conceived designation mostly used by theorists of the psychoanalytic and biological schools of thought^{[citation needed]}. Increasingly, theorists who focused on the operation of social forces were recognized as well. During the 1940s and 1950s a variety of other terms were also used for this group of patients, such as "ambulatory schizophrenia" (Zilboorg), "preschizophrenia" (Rapaport), "latent schizophrenia" (Federn), "pseudoneurotic schizophrenia" (Hoch and Polatin), "schizotypal disorder" (Rado), and "borderline state" (Knight).

The 1960s and 1970s saw a shift from thinking of the borderline syndrome as borderline schizophrenia to thinking of it as a borderline affective disorder (mood disorder), on the fringes of manic depression, cyclothymia and dysthymia. In DSM-II, stressing the affective components, it was called Cyclothymic personality (Affective personality).^[2] In parallel to this evolution of the term "borderline" to refer to a distinct category of disorder, psychoanalysts such as Otto Kernberg were using it to refer to a broad spectrum of issues, describing an intermediate level of personality organization^[1] between neurotic and psychotic processes.^[82]

Standardized criteria were developed^[83] to distinguish BPD from affective disorders and other Axis I disorders, and BPD became a personality disorder diagnosis in 1980 with the publication of DSM-III.^[78] The diagnosis was formulated predominantly in terms of mood and behavior, distinguished from sub-syndromal schizophrenia which was termed "Schizotypal personality disorder."^[82] The final terminology in use by the DSM today was decided by the DSM-IV Axis II Work Group of the American Psychiatric Association.^[84]

[edit] Society and culture

Several films portraying characters either explicitly diagnosed or with traits strongly suggestive of the diagnosis have been the subject of discussion by psychiatrists and film experts alike. The films Play Misty for Me^[85] and Fatal Attraction are two cited examples,^[86] as well as the book and movie Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen; all highlight the emotional instability of the disorder and the frantic attempts to avoid abandonment. However, the first two cases show a person more aggressive to others than to herself; the latter is a more usual outcome in these situations.^[87]

The 1992 film Single White Female highlights different aspects of the disorder, as the character Hedy, suffering from a markedly disturbed sense of identity, adopts wholesale the attributes of her flatmate. A chronic emptiness is implied and, as with the last two films, abandonment leads to drastic measures.^[88] Other films cited as depicting prominent characters with the disorder include The Crush, Malicious, Interiors, Presumed Innocent,"Bliss" and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.^[86] In the HBO series The Sopranos, it was suggested that Tony Soprano's mother suffered from BPD. The film Borderline, based on the book of the same name by Marie-Sissi Labrèche, explores BPD through the story of Kiki.

The memoir, Songs of Three Islands by Millicent Monks is a meditation on how BPD has haunted several generations of the wealthy Carnegie family.^[89]

On stage, BPD was a central theme of Joe Penhall's 2000 play Blue/Orange, in which two psychiatrists do battle over the future treatment of a patient suffering from the condition.^[90]

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Gender

The diagnosis of BPD has been criticized from a feminist perspective,^[91] This is because some of the diagnostic criteria/symptoms of the disorder uphold common gender stereotypes about woman. For example, the criteria of “a pattern of unstable personal relationships, unstable self-image, and instability of mood,” can all be linked to the stereotype that woman are, “neither decisive nor constant.” ^[92] The question has also been raised of why women are three times more likely to be diagnosed with BPD than men. Some think that people with BPD commonly have a history of sexual abuse in childhood.^[93] BPD is a stigmatizing diagnosis that evokes negative responses from health care providers (see below), so it is suggested that women who have survived sexual abuse in childhood are in this way re-traumatized by abusive mental health services.^[94]

Some feminist writers have suggested it would be better to give these women the diagnosis of a post-traumatic disorder as this would acknowledge their abuse, but others have argued that the use of the PTSD diagnosis merely medicalizes abuse rather than addressing the root causes in society.^[95] Women may be more likely to receive a personality disorder diagnosis if they reject the female role by being hostile, successful or sexually active; alternatively if a woman presents with psychiatric symptoms but does not conform to a traditional passive sick role, she may be labelled as a "difficult" patient and given the stigmatizing diagnosis of BPD.^[96]

[edit] Stigma

The features of BPD include emotional instability, intense unstable interpersonal relationships, a need for relatedness and a fear of rejection. As a result, people with BPD often evoke intense emotions in those around them. Pejorative terms such as “difficult,” “treatment resistant,” “manipulative,” “demanding” and “attention seeking" are often used, and may become a self-fulfilling prophecy as the clinician's negative response triggers further self-destructive behaviour.^[97] In psychoanalytic theory, this stigmatization may be thought to reflect "countertransference" (when a therapist projects their own feelings on to a client), as people with BPD are prone to use defense mechanisms such as splitting and projective identification. Thus the diagnosis "often says more about the clinician's negative reaction to the patient than it does about the patient ... as an expression of counter transference hate, borderline explains away the breakdown in empathy between the therapist and the patient and becomes an institutional epithet in the guise of pseudoscientific jargon" (Aronson, p 217).^[82]

This inadvertent counter transference can give rise to inappropriate clinical responses including excessive use of medication, inappropriate mothering and punitive use of limit setting and interpretation.^[98] People with BPD are seen as among the most challenging groups of patients, requiring a high degree of skill and training in the psychiatrists, therapists and nurses involved in their treatment.^[99] People labeled with "Borderline Personality Disorder" also often feel it is unhelpful and stigmatizing as well as simply inaccurate, supporting and adding to calls for a name change.^[100]

The Treatment and Research Advancements National Association for Personality Disorders (TARA-APD) campaigns to change the name and designation of BPD in DSM-V.^[101] The paper How Advocacy is Bringing BPD into the Light^[102] reports that "the name BPD is confusing, imparts no relevant or descriptive information, and reinforces existing stigma...".

[edit] Terminology

Because of the above concerns, and because of a move away from the original theoretical basis for the term (see history), there is ongoing debate about renaming BPD. Alternative suggestions for names include Emotional regulation disorder or Emotional dysregulation disorder. Impulse disorder and Interpersonal regulatory disorder are other valid alternatives, according to John Gunderson of McLean Hospital in the United States.^[103] Another term (for example, by psychiatrist Carolyn Quadrio) is Post Traumatic Personality Disorganization (PTPD), reflecting the condition's status as (often) both a form of chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a personality disorder in the belief that it is a common outcome of developmental or attachment trauma.^[49] Some people do not report any kind of traumatic event.^[104]

[edit] See also

• Emotional dysregulation
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD)
• Bipolar disorder
• DSM-IV codes (personality disorders)
• Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV
• Dissociative disorders

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] Further reading

[edit] General

[edit] Borderline parents

[edit] Narcissistic/borderline couples

[edit] External links

• Borderline personality disorder at the Open Directory Project
• NIMH National Institute of Health – Borderline Personality Disorder
• National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEA for BPD)
• Florida Borderline Personality Disorder Association
• Chicago Tribune article and "Splitting" book
• Support and Skills Training for families (non-profit)
• BPD support for families from Stop Walking on Eggshells
• Anything to Stop the Pain support group for loved ones of people with BPD
• Support and Advice from Tami Green – A Speaker and Life Coach on BPD
• A petition to change the name and designation of BPD in the DSM-V

v • d • e DSM personality disorders DSM-III-R only Sadistic · Self-defeating (masochistic) DSM-IV Cluster A (odd) Paranoid · Schizoid · Schizotypal Cluster B (dramatic) Antisocial · Borderline · Histrionic · Narcissistic Cluster C (anxious) Avoidant · Dependent · Obsessive-compulsive Personality disorder not otherwise specified Appendix B (proposed) Depressive · Negativistic (passive-aggressive)

v • d • e ICD-10 personality disorders Schizotypal Schizotypal Specific Anankastic · Anxious (avoidant) · Dependent · Dissocial · Emotionally unstable · Histrionic · Paranoid · Schizoid · Other Eccentric · Haltlose type · Immature · Narcissistic · Passive-aggressive · Psychoneurotic Unspecified Unspecified Mixed and other Mixed and other