scholarly journals ‘I AM NOT A MONSTER': THE LINGUISTIC STIGMA OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER.

Author(s):  
Kaja Widuch ◽  

"Borderline Personality Disorder is arguably the most distressing disorder amongst the DSM diagnoses for all involved. Although psychiatric labelling can be validating it is often stigmatising. Due to the nature of BPD, people living with the disorder (PBPD) tend to be marginalized and discriminated against. A quick and random review of the World Wide Web (including a selection of popular social media platforms) reveals a common linguistic theme in describing BPD. PBPD are ‘toxic’, ‘difficult’ and ‘manipulative. Other labels, more diagnostically - oriented see PBPD as the ‘PDs’ or ‘the borderlines’. These also carry negative connotations of the inner and outer groups - ‘us’ vs ‘them’. Given the nature of the labels, recovery for PBPD is often dubious. One might think - ‘I am a monster anyway’, a classic example of cognitive dissonance. The language used in clinical practice as well as out of it is a powerful weapon. Some might poetically describe BPD as a lethal cocktail of blended psychopathologies with the ingredients including chronic suicidality, abandonment and intermittent lucidity to name a few. Of note, externalising such pathologies in an adaptive way is almost a fantasy for the therapy team. A more user friendly descriptive diagnosis is ‘difficulty in emotion regulation’. However, probably the most accurate ‘label’ of BPD for PBPD is ‘living in acute pain’. The current climate and the uncertainty surrounded the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has meant a significantly increased risk not only in symptoms remission but also in the increase in cyber-bullying and suicidality rate. The pandemic has also put a halt to the Participant and Public Involvement in the evidence based practice. Linguistic shift in reducing stigma is essential and of immediate need."

2020 ◽  
pp. 103985622092432
Author(s):  
Álvaro Frías ◽  
Carol Palma ◽  
Ana Salvador ◽  
Elena Aluco ◽  
Sara Navarro ◽  
...  

Objective: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental disorder characterized by emotional crises. To date, crisis interventions for BPD have been conducted via telephone calls and emergency units, which are associated with an extra amount of resources. The aim of this research was to test the usability and satisfaction with a psychotherapeutic mobile app for self-managing crises in BPD. Method: The B·RIGHT app was designed based on Artificial Intelligence psychotherapeutic algorithms. Usability and satisfaction with the app were assessed in 25 outpatients diagnosed with BPD (84% female, mean age = 35.80 years) using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and other questionnaires. Clinical features were assessed using the Borderline Symptom List, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and Beck’s Depression Inventory. Results: Patients with BPD considered the app user-friendly (mean total score = 4.03) and highly satisfactory (mean total score = 4.02), resulting in a positive user experience (mean total score = 4.09). Total usability was negatively associated with age ( r = −.44), positively associated with educational level ( rho = .47) and with overall emotion dysregulation ( r = .51), and negatively associated with depression severity ( r = −.47). Conclusions: The usability and satisfaction testing of the B·RIGHT app showed promising findings, which warrant further research in order to validate its effectiveness.


Author(s):  
Margaret S. Andover ◽  
Heather T. Schatten ◽  
Blair W. Morris

Individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are at an elevated risk for engaging in self-injurious behaviors, including suicide, attempted suicide, and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of research on self-injurious behaviors among individuals with BPD. Definitions and prevalence rates are provided for NSSI, suicide, and attempted suicide. Clinical correlates of and risk factors for the behaviors, as well as associations between specific BPD criteria and self-injurious behaviors, are discussed, and a brief overview of treatments focused on reducing self-injurious behaviors among BPD patients is provided. By understanding risk factors for attempted suicide and NSSI in BPD, we can better identify patients who are at increased risk and focus treatment efforts on addressing modifiable risk factors.


F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 561
Author(s):  
Christina M Temes ◽  
Mary C Zanarini

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious psychiatric disorder that affects multiple symptomatic domains and is associated with an increased risk of suicidality. Several empirically supported treatments for BPD have been developed in recent years for adults with BPD. More recent work has focused on tailoring or applying (or both) these existing treatments to specific patient populations, including patients with certain types of comorbidity (for example, BPD and post-traumatic stress disorder or antisocial personality disorder) and younger patients. Other work has involved developing treatments and models of treatment delivery that address concerns related to access of care. Relatedly, new adjunctive and technology-assisted interventions have been developed, adding to the growing repertoire of treatment options for these patients. Advances in the last several years address specific treatment needs and offer cost-efficient options for this diverse patient population.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. Belsky ◽  
Avshalom Caspi ◽  
Louise Arseneault ◽  
Wiebke Bleidorn ◽  
Peter Fonagy ◽  
...  

AbstractIt has been reported that borderline personality related characteristics can be observed in children, and that these characteristics are associated with increased risk for the development of borderline personality disorder. It is not clear whether borderline personality related characteristics in children share etiological features with adult borderline personality disorder. We investigated the etiology of borderline personality related characteristics in a longitudinal cohort study of 1,116 pairs of same-sex twins followed from birth through age 12 years. Borderline personality related characteristics measured at age 12 years were highly heritable, were more common in children who had exhibited poor cognitive function, impulsivity, and more behavioral and emotional problems at age 5 years, and co-occurred with symptoms of conduct disorder, depression, anxiety, and psychosis. Exposure to harsh treatment in the family environment through age 10 years predicted borderline personality related characteristics at age 12 years. This association showed evidence of environmental mediation and was stronger among children with a family history of psychiatric illness, consistent with diathesis–stress models of borderline etiology. Results indicate that borderline personality related characteristics in children share etiological features with borderline personality disorder in adults and suggest that inherited and environmental risk factors make independent and interactive contributions to borderline etiology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul H. Soloff ◽  
Laurel Chiappetta

Prospective predictors of suicide attempts were assessed in 118 subjects with borderline personality disorder (BPD) after 10 or more years of follow-up. Mean (SD) time to follow-up was 14.4 (4.7) years. Subjects were predominately female (78.8%), Caucasian (81.4%), and of lower socioeconomic status. Initial recruitment was evenly balanced between inpatient, outpatient, and non-patient (community) sources. In the 10-year interval, 55 subjects (46.6%) attempted suicide. Compared to baseline, suicidal ideation, number of attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury diminished markedly. Core symptoms of BPD, substance abuse, and alcohol use disorders decreased significantly; however, major depressive disorder (MDD) remained constant at 50%. Forty-four percent of subjects had poor psychosocial, vocational, and economic outcomes. Psychosocial outcome was independent of suicide history and any treatment. Increased risk was associated with interval hospitalization prior to any attempt (illness severity), as well as poor social, vocational, and psychosocial functioning at baseline.


2003 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 301-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul S Links ◽  
Brent Gould ◽  
Ruwan Ratnayake

Objective: This paper has 3 objectives. First, we review the epidemiologic evidence for the association between suicidal behaviour and suicide in individuals diagnosed with antisocial, borderline, or narcissistic personality disorder. Second, we examine whether any potentially modifiable risk factors are associated with these diagnoses, based on existing empirical evidence. Last, we discuss clinical approaches to assessing youth with antisocial, borderline, or narcissistic personality disorder presenting at risk for suicide. Method: We reviewed the English-language literature for the last 12 years (from January 1, 1991, to December 31, 2002), using as search terms the names of the 3 disorders, as well as the key words suicide, suicidal behaviour, youth, and adolescents. Results: Patients with antisocial or borderline personality disorder are likely to be at increased risk for suicidal behaviour when they demonstrate such comorbid disorders as major depressive episodes or substance abuse disorders, when they experience recent negative life events, or when they have a history of childhood sexual abuse. Conclusions: For patients with antisocial personality disorder, the risk of violence has to be judged in addition to the risk of suicide or self-harm. For patients with borderline personality disorder, interventions are determined by differentiating acute-on-chronic from chronic risk of suicidal behaviour. Finally, patients with narcissistic personality disorder can be at high risk for suicide during periods when they are not suffering from clinical depression. These episodes can seem to be unpredictable.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052098627
Author(s):  
Marialuisa Cavelti ◽  
Katherine Thompson ◽  
Jennifer Betts ◽  
Claire Fowler ◽  
Stefan Luebbers ◽  
...  

This study aimed to examine the lifetime risk of being the victim of criminal or violent offenses among young people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) features (1-9 DSM-IV criteria). Demographic and diagnostic data from 492 outpatients who attended a specialist public mental health service for 15- to 25-year-olds between January 1998 and March 2008 were linked with offending data from a state-wide police database, collected between March 1993 and June 2017, in order to establish victimization history. This included information on criminal offenses perpetrated against these young people and intervention orders implemented to protect them from being victimized by another person’s violent behavior. Logistic regression analyses, adjusted for sex and co-occurring mental state disorders, were conducted on n = 378 who had complete data (76.5% females). As hypothesized, BPD diagnosis and number of BPD criteria were both significantly associated with an increased risk of being the victim of a violent offense and the complainant of a family violence intervention order. Anger and impulsivity independently predicted a higher risk of being the victim of a violent offense, while unstable relationships, impulsivity, and affective instability independently predicted a higher risk of being the complainant of a family violence intervention order. No significant association was found between BPD and the risk of being the victim of a nonviolent offense. These findings indicate that young people with any BPD features (even below the DSM diagnostic threshold) are at increased risk for victimization by interpersonal violence. Moreover, this risk increases according to the number of BPD criteria. This issue needs to be addressed by prevention and early intervention programs (e.g., by working on self-assertion and interpersonal skills, taking into account the possible influence of previous traumatizing relationship experiences).


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