Explaining Borderline Personality Disorder

People with borderline personality disorder are always in a state of uncertainty; one minute they are upbeat and happy, the next they become sulky and highly irritable. Borderline personality disorder signs and symptoms are often similar to those who have bipolar disorder; in that, they can also have periods of ‘highs’ or mania and ‘lows’ or depression.

But those who are afflicted with borderline personality disorder are different from those suffering from major depression and bipolar disorder because they show signs of dissociation or splitting and have a lack of self-image.

These are the two major symptoms for borderline personality disorder, aside from erratic mood swings. Other disorders can also occur with borderline personality disorder such as bulimia, anorexia nervosa, post traumatic stress disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, and multiple personality disorder.

Dissociation in people with borderline personality disorder is being detached from reality. For people with this kind of disorder, they remove themselves or the idea of their self from reality and form their own perception of reality. Due to their own form of ‘reality’, patients with borderline personality disorder often characterize people and events into two distinct categories: black and white. This often called ‘all-or-nothing’ because you are either bad or good according to the patient’s perception of you.

Dissociation or splitting is deemed a protective mechanism to shield the patient from disappointment. There are no gray areas for people with borderline personality disorder which makes dealing with them very difficult. Often, their relationships with other people, especially with their loved ones, become damaged.

To relieve themselves from anxiety and depression, those with borderline personality disorder often resort to using alcohol, drugs, overeating, and self-mutilation. Substance abuse and self-mutilation can only make matters worse but for those afflicted with the disorder, these two provide the fastest relief.

There are two types of borderline personality disorder (BPD):
1. Low functioning BPD
Borderlines who are in constant turmoil e.g. always being in the hospital due to suicide and self-mutilation cases, losing jobs one after the other or having trouble with their relationships, have the low functioning BPD type.
2. High functioning BPD
On the other hand, there are borderlines who seem well behaved e.g. have a lot of friends, outgoing and highly successful in their careers. But these borderlines will only show signs and symptoms of the disorder to those whom they know very well like close friends and family.
3. Acting in and acting out
Though not officially recognized as a third type of this disorder, borderlines who ‘act out’ tend to blame or hurt other people while those who ‘act in’ tend to hurt themselves by self-mutilation because they feel guilty about something.