Borderline Personality Disorder Case Study

The diagnosis of Major depressive disorder and Borderline personality disorder (BPD) are entirely accurate, as Diana’s behaviour epitomizes the characteristics and diagnostic features of both disorders. As outlined in the DSM-5, Diana exemplifies symptoms warranting a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, as she displays the presence of five or more specified symptoms while having no prior history of mania. Diana exhibits the diagnostically required symptoms of frequent depressed mood, diminished interest in normal activities, and recurring suicidal thoughts/attempts, resulting in considerable distress and impairment. (APA, 2013, p. 160-161). In addition to fitting the diagnostic criteria, Diana demonstrates marked deficits in areas of functioning. Most strikingly Diana typifies emotional symptoms common in unipolar depression including prolonged and severe unhappiness, crying spells, and a general sense of hopelessness. Diana also displays

When instructed to write a 3-5 page paper over a psychological disorder I wondered to myself what disorder could I do to interest me enough to take so much time to look into. What one disorder would I have to force myself to research and write about that would not be completely painful? This is when I decided to write my paper over the Borderline Personality Disorder, the disorder Mrs. Kline refers to as the crazy girlfriend disorder which fits the disorder a lot better. This disorder grabbed my attention because I’m interested in what causes one to become so obsessive in such a short time span. In this research paper I will inform you about what can cause this disorder, what symptoms and actions are made by the ones affected by this disorder, and the treatment that reduces the symptoms.

Assessment of the patient with borderline personality disorder is inclusive of the patient's: (1) physical; (2) emotional; (3) cognitive; (4) social; and (5) spiritual characteristics. These are assessed based on the patient's: (1) subjective reports; (2) interview records; and (3) behavioral

The diagnostic process for personality disorders currently covers a broad scope of various tests and symptoms, causing a source of frustration for psychiatrists (Aldhous). The symptoms and side effects of several personality disorders can tend to blur together, making diagnosis challenging (Aldhous). Most psychiatric patients are diagnosed with several personality disorders at once, with twenty percent of people with personality disorders simply diagnosed with a “personality disorder not otherwise specified” (Aldhous). Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, commonly referred to as the DSM, psychiatrists attempt with great difficulty to categorize their patients into a specific disorder, only to diagnose

Parenting any young adult can come with it's share of headaches and battles just as it is filled with times of immense pride and satisfaction. If you're parenting a child aged 17 to 28 who shows signs of borderline personality disorder, the summary of your parenting has factors in intense fear and anxiety over your child's health and well-being.

In Axis II, she shows many symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, which is characterized by a lack of one’s own identity, with rapid changes in mood, intense unstable interpersonal relationships, marked impulsively, instability in affect, and instability in self-image. Which would also explain the impulsive drug use and theft. All of the drug abuse leads to many General Medical Conditions in Axis III. In Axis IV the best that fit her is Problems related to interaction with the legal system. In Axis VI, I have come to the conclusion that she falls under the classification of the range of 61-70; this means she has some mild symptoms, depressed mood, mild insomnia, and difficulty in social occupational functioning. All of these combined Axis’s explain her behavior and can enlighten us on many aspects that define her as a person with some personality and substance related illnesses.

Borderline personality disorder is a disorder in which a person is emotionally unstable, has unpredictive behavior and is unable to trust anyone. They easily become angry, or frightened. It is an illness that doesn’t have a cure. In the article that I read, a psychologist made up a game to see how a normal person with no BPD and a person with BPD reacted to money being exchanged between an investor. The goal was to achieve a level of trust. While both patients were undergoing the study, the psychologist was trying to keep track of the brain activity and what caused them both to be able to trust the investors and what tactics they used. The researchers used neuroimaging (Fmri). Neuroimaging is when techniques are used to see how the nervous

In our modern era, there is a vast amount of people who suffer from mental health issues, such as Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD) and paranoia. PPD involves a person who would experience peculiar thoughts, in which, could lead them to believe others are not to be trusted and are to be suspicious of. This can classified in what is called “Cluster A” of personality disorders and characterized as individuals having a disorder where they are

According to the DSM-5, Personality Disorders are characterized by “impairments in personality functioning and the presence of pathological personality traits”. Borderline Personality Disorder is one of ten personality disorders listed in the DSM-5. The DSM-5 lists several criteria that must be met in order for someone to be diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. They are quoted as follows:

In order to receive this diagnosis a person must display 5 of the 9 possible symptoms (American Psychological Association, 2013). The symptoms of BPD are as follows; efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, patterns of unstable relationships that are intense, identity disturbance, impulsivity in a minimum of two areas that can be damaging, recurring suicidal behaviour or self-mutilating behaviour, mood instability, feelings of emptiness that are chronic, difficulty controlling anger and severe dissociative symptoms (American Psychological Association, 2013) . Disco Di displayed many of these symptoms such as having trouble separating from her parents, substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, being unsure about what she wants to do with her life, uncontrollable episodes of anger and has attempted suicide multiple times. It is not surprising that she was also given a diagnosis of BPD as the comorbidity rate for these patients to also have an Axis I or Axis II Disorder has proven to be high. For example, in the study “Axis I and II comorbidity and psychosocial functioning in female adolescents with borderline personality disorder”, by Kaess, Ceumern-Lindenstjerna, Parzer, Chanen, Mundt, Resch, and Brunner, female adolescent patients with BPD and other psychiatric diagnoses were assessed by clinicians to screen for Axis I and II disorders (Kaess, Ceumern-Lindenstjerna, Parzer, Chanen, Mundt, Resch &

The history of BPD can be traced back to 1938 when Adolph Stern first described the symptoms of the disorder as neither being psychotic nor psychoneurotic; hence, the term ‘borderline’ was introduced (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15). Then in 1960, Otto Kernberg coined the term ‘borderline personality organization’ to describe persistent patterns of behavior and functioning consisting of instability, and distressed psychological self-organization (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15).

Chapman, PhD, A. L., & Fraser, S. (2006, September). Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Current Indications and Unique Elements PDF file., (), 62-68.

Family studies have demonstrated that first-degree relatives of borderlines are five times more likely to also fulfill the BPD diagnosis that the general public. Family members of borderlines also are more likely to be diagnosed with related illnesses, especially substances abuse, affective disorders, and antisocial personality disorder. Undoubtedly, genetic contributions- modified by environmental influences- to the development of BPD are dependent on multiple factors and probably engage multiple chromosomal loci (Kreisman, 2004, p. 14).

“Personality disorders have been documented in approximately 9 percent of the general U.S. population” (Angstman, Rasmussen, 2011). Emotional dysregulation disorder or its common name borderline personality disorder is a very serious and chronic disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) describes borderline personality disorder as “a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts” (Gardner, 2006). Within the last 20 years, psychologists and other mental health professionals have made tremendous strides in research on what exactly borderline personality disorder, some of its triggers and possible effective treatment options. Borderline personality disorder is defined as a disorder that generates severe emotional instability which can be a springboard that can lead to other stress induced mental and behavioral problems.

Over the past few units, I have greatly expanded my knowledge about several different psychological topics. Though many of the topics that were discussed sparked my interest, there were two types of disorders that furthered my knowledge, but also eliminated some stereotypes that I had about them. The two main areas that I learned more about regarding these disorders were characteristics of the disorders and different methods of treatment. A common theme that has been discussed in multiple different units is that several psychological disorders can have similar symptoms and characteristics. It is crucial to understand what makes one psychological disorder different than another one. Determining what type of disorders an individual might have can lead to better and more accurate treatment options; treatments methods are important because they help individuals manage their disorders. The two disorders that I found to be the most important and most interesting are borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia.