Is borderline personality disorder on a spectrum?

It is now clear that DSM-IV-defined BPD is a heterogeneous construct that includes patients on the mood disorder spectrum and the impulsivity spectrum (Siever and Davis, 1991), in contrast to the original speculation that these patients might be near neighbors of patients with schizophrenia or other psychoses.


Do personality disorders exist on a spectrum?

They may instead exist along a common spectrum of functioning. All personality disorders may in fact be maladaptive variants of general personality traits, and some personality disorders could be early onset, chronic, and pervasive variants of other mental disorders.

What category does borderline personality fall under?

Cluster B personality disorders are characterized by dramatic, overly emotional or unpredictable thinking or behavior. They include antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.


What does it mean to be borderline spectrum?

The essential feature of this disorder is a pervasive pattern of instability of self-image, interpersonal relationships and mood. The person's sense of identity is profoundly uncertain. Interpersonal relationships are unstable and intense, fluctuating between the extremes of idealization and devaluation.

Can BPD be mistaken for autism?

Autism and Borderline Personality can both co-occur, or they can be misdiagnosed as one another. To the untrained eye, undiagnosed autism can easily look like BPD.


Borderline Personality Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder



What is BPD usually misdiagnosed as?

In particular, there is evidence that BPD is commonly misdiagnosed as Bipolar Disorder, Type 2. One study showed that 40% of people who met criteria for BPD but not for bipolar disorder were nevertheless misdiagnosed with Bipolar Type 2.

Does BPD count as a disability?

The Social Security Administration placed borderline personality disorder as one of the mental health disorders on its disabilities list. However, you'll have to meet specific criteria for an official disability finding. For example, you must prove that you have the symptoms of the condition.

What is borderline personality now called?

Explains borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD). Includes what it feels like, causes, treatment, support and self-care, as well as tips for friends and family.


What are the 4 types of BPD?

According to field expert Theodore Millon, there are four different types of borderline personality disorder:
  • Discouraged borderline personality disorder.
  • Impulsive borderline personality disorder.
  • Petulant borderline.
  • Self-destructive borderline.


What is a high functioning borderline?

Discouraged or Quiet BPD is often called high-functioning borderline personality disorder. This subtype of BPD can result in keeping negative emotions hidden. Characteristics of high-functioning BPD include: Perfectionism and the need for control. Feelings of emptiness and loneliness.

Is BPD a psychopath?

BPD features are highly represented in subjects with psychopathy as well as psychopathic traits are highly prevalent in patients with BPD.


Who is most likely to develop borderline personality disorder?

Although anyone can develop BPD, it's more common if you have a family history of BPD. People with other mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression or eating disorders, are also at higher risk. Nearly 75% of people diagnosed with BPD are people assigned female at birth (AFAB).

Is BPD borderline schizophrenic?

BPD is a very different diagnosis than schizophrenia, though the two can co-exist. While BPD is characterized by a pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships; schizophrenia is characterized by a range of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dysfunctions.

What mental illnesses are on the spectrum?

Types of spectrum
  • Anxiety, stress, and dissociation.
  • Obsessions and compulsions.
  • General developmental disorders.
  • Psychosis.
  • Schizoaffective disorders.
  • Schizophrenia-like personality disorders.
  • Mood.
  • Substance use.


What is the most diagnosed personality disorder?

Borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder are the most frequently diagnosed personality disorders.

What disorders overlap with BPD?

The symptoms of BPD are very broad, and some can be similar to or overlap with other mental health problems, such as:
  • Bipolar disorder.
  • Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD)
  • Depression.
  • Anxiety.
  • Psychosis.
  • Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)


What medication is usually prescribed for borderline personality disorder?

Antipsychotics are widely used in BPD, as they are believed to be effective in improving impulsivity, aggression, anxiety and psychotic symptoms [Nose et al. 2006; American Psychiatric Association, 2001].


How can you tell if someone has borderline personality disorder?

Wide mood swings lasting from a few hours to a few days, which can include intense happiness, irritability, shame or anxiety. Ongoing feelings of emptiness. Inappropriate, intense anger, such as frequently losing your temper, being sarcastic or bitter, or having physical fights.

What are the 9 criteria for BPD?

The 9 symptoms of BPD
  • Fear of abandonment. People with BPD are often terrified of being abandoned or left alone. ...
  • Unstable relationships. ...
  • Unclear or shifting self-image. ...
  • Impulsive, self-destructive behaviors. ...
  • Self-harm. ...
  • Extreme emotional swings. ...
  • Chronic feelings of emptiness. ...
  • Explosive anger.


What are the five types of borderline personality disorder?

In response to this problem, Oldham proposed five types of BPD: affective, impulsive, aggressive, dependent and empty.


Is BPD psychosis or neurosis?

A person with BPD tends to see things in extremes, and their feelings can change quickly. It's really about emotional dysregulation rather than being psychotic, neurotic or something on the borderline between them.

How to deal with someone who has borderline personality disorder?

  1. Set clear boundaries. Practising good boundaries and expectations can make a big difference. ...
  2. Plan ahead. ...
  3. Learn their triggers. ...
  4. Provide distractions. ...
  5. Learn more about BPD. ...
  6. Help them seek treatment and support. ...
  7. Take care of yourself.


What is the root cause of borderline personality disorder?

Environmental factors

being a victim of emotional, physical or sexual abuse. being exposed to long-term fear or distress as a child. being neglected by 1 or both parents. growing up with another family member who had a serious mental health condition, such as bipolar disorder or a drink or drug misuse problem.


Why do antidepressants not work for BPD?

Limited therapeutic effectiveness of antidepressants in BPD may be related to lack of serotonin receptor specificity, since 5-HT2A but not 5-HT2C antagonism is associated with decreasing impulsivity.

Is BPD a rare diagnosis?

Myth: BPD Is a Rare Condition

It is estimated that more than 14 million Americans have BPD, extrapolated from a large study performed in 2008. An estimated 11% of psychiatric outpatients, 20% of psychiatric inpatients, and 6% of people visiting their primary health care provider have BPD.
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