borderline personality disorder
Unstable identity condition
Borderline personality disorder is a mental health condition marked by unstable moods, relationships, and self-image.
People with the disorder often experience intense fear of abandonment, impulsive behavior, and emotional swings that can shift rapidly.
The name reflects the historical view that patients sat on the borderline between neurosis and psychosis—a framing now considered outdated.
Abbreviated BPD.
Poor control over feelings
- fear of abandonmentDread of being left behind
- chronic emptinessEnduring internal void
- splittingDividing into parts
- dissociationMental separation from surroundings
impulsivity · self-harm · suicidal ideation · unstable relationships · black-and-white thinking · idealization · devaluation · emotional sensitivity
Identification of illness
- DSM-5Psychiatric diagnosis guidebook
- psychiatric evaluationClinical mental health assessment
- comorbiditySimultaneous presence of diseases
- differential diagnosisSystematic comparison of possible conditions
attachment theory · prognosis · stigma · misdiagnosis · mental health · psychiatrist
Therapy for emotional regulation
- psychotherapyTreatment through guided conversation
- skills trainingTeaching specific competencies
- emotion regulationManaging one's feeling states
- mindfulnessAwareness of the present
validation · crisis intervention · hospitalization · mood stabilizers · psychoeducation · group therapy · recovery
emotional dysregulation
Poor control over feelings
- fear of abandonmentDread of being left behind
- chronic emptinessEnduring internal void
- splittingDividing into parts
dissociation · impulsivity · self-harm · suicidal ideation · unstable relationships · black-and-white thinking · idealization · devaluation · emotional sensitivity · dysphoria
diagnosis
Identification of illness
- DSM-5Psychiatric diagnosis guidebook
- psychiatric evaluationClinical mental health assessment
- comorbiditySimultaneous presence of diseases
differential diagnosis · attachment theory · prognosis · stigma · misdiagnosis · mental health · psychiatrist
DBT
Therapy for emotional regulation
- psychotherapyTreatment through guided conversation
- skills trainingTeaching specific competencies
- emotion regulationManaging one's feeling states
mindfulness · validation · crisis intervention · hospitalization · mood stabilizers · psychoeducation · group therapy · recovery
- Cluster B Disorders
- personality disordersOCPD, borderline, narcissistic, antisocial, histrionic
borderline personality disorderemotional stability
Resilient, even-keeled temperament
equanimity · emotional resilience · secure attachment · unflappability · composure
borderline personality disordersecure attachment
Reliable caregiver-child emotional bond
border, disorder, borders, bordered, bordering, borderland, borderlands, lineal, linearity