SymptomsThe term "borderline" was first used in 1938 to describe mildly schizophrenic patients whose symptoms were between psychosis and neurosis. In 1967 "borderline personality organization" was used to describe the level of internal personality organization that is more disturbed that that of a neurotic disorder but less disturbed than that of a psychotic disorder. The symptoms of BPD are similar to those of other mood or psychological disorders. The list has been revised and reduced over the years. In order to best understand the nature of the disorder, it is important to understand the progression of the disorder and its symptoms.
Below are the original symptoms and criteria for diagnosis, a revised version of the list, and the results of a recent study to determine the nature of the disorder. |
Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines: Original 1981
Social Adaptation:
Impulse Action Patterns:
Affect
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Psychosis
Interpersonal Relations
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Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines: Revised 1989
Impulse Action Patterns
Affect
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Cognition
Interpersonal Relations
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Re-Evaluation: 2011
Past studies claim that borderline personality disorder is unidimensional. A study conducted in 2011 proved that the disorder is, in fact, mulitidimensional; that personality traits account for underlying symptoms. The symptoms of BPD were simplified to the following:
1. Avoidance of abandonment
2. Unstable relationships 3. Identity disturbance 4. Impulsivity |
5. Suicidal and self-mutilative behavior
6. Affective instability 7. Emptiness 8. Inappropriate anger 9. Stress-related paranoid behavior |
Emma Harmeyer, 2012