Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

There is a true tragic health issue in this country. It affects 2% of the population in general. To put this in numerical numbers that might impact you more, that equates to a little over six million Americans (though some figures put this number at nearly ten million). That's a "6" followed by six zeros! And there are doctors (medical, psychiatric and therapy) out there that are finding it hard to believe the diagnosis exists; despite the fact that it has been studied, written about and treated since 1989. It affects primarily females (75% of diagnosed patients). We are talking mothers, sisters, wives and daughters here. And begins as early as pre-teen through mid-life.

What is this health concern? Its called Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD for short). It used to be used as a catch-all diagnosis when doctors couldn't determine (or couldn't bother to determine) a psychiatric illness. It was used to include everything from self image issues to bipolar disorders to depression. And though these disorders are part of the Borderline's symptomatology, they are more intense and the treatment regime is different.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) categorizes Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) as "a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior." (NIH Publication No. 01-4928) The DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 4th Edition), which is a comprehensive classification of officially recognized psychiatric disorders, states BPD is "a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image" and is noted by a "marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts," "frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment," and a "pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation."

To put this in terms that may be more recognizable to the lay person, here are some examples of what the professionals are saying in their doctor speak.