Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
English 363
February 2019
Figure 1: Artistic depiction of Splitting. Unknown separation anxiety and antagonization and/ or
artist. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-
uTHY2KgskMI/VAtKMHlbKZI/AAAAAAAAAcw/IMBJ idealization of an individual/s.
Byp9DYY/s1600/gretel-ella-smith-borderline-
personality-disorder.jpg
Introduction:
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, it is currently reported that 1 in 6 individuals
are diagnosed with BPD, although the percentage is thought to be higher1. BPD is officially
categorized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5th Ed.) as a
personality disorder, as its etiology(cause/s) are more prominently based on early life experiences.
Newly found research uncovers patterns in brain activity that are unrelated to social exposure2,
1
National Institute of Mental Health. “Personality Disorders”
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/personality-disorders.shtml#part_155481 National Institute of
Mental Health. (Last updated: November 2017)
2
Ninomiya, Taiga; Oshita, Harumi; Kawano, Yoshihisa; Goto, Chiharu; Matsuhashi, Mai; Masuda, Koji; Takita, Fuku;
Izumi, Toshihiko; Inoue, Ayako; Higuma, Haruka; Kanehisa, Masayuki; Akiyoshi, Jotaro. “Reduced white matter
integrity in borderline personality disorder: A diffusion tensor imaging study” Journal of Affective Disorders,
Vol.225, pp.723-732 (2018)
though as a whole the etiology of BPD is not agreed upon by researchers. Common indicators of
borderline personality disorder are impulsive tendencies, low self-esteem and polarized thinking
Symptoms:
An individual with borderline personality disorder possess insecurities such as having a poor self-
image that can impact their perception of how other individuals view them. This creates a
dysfunction in their own daily living due to a chronic state of self-doubt and therefore disconnect
mentally, also known as dissociate, due to general stress or trigger related stress3. Individuals with
BPD will experience difficulties with decision making, both short-term and long-term, as well as
dramatic shifts in morals which will also have an impact on decisions due to their impulsivity that
may result in destructive consequences for them. Most individuals with BPD present a chronic
feeling of abandonment due to low self-esteem and having no concrete belief in consistency in
relationships due to the splitting view of others in their lives. Struggles with interpersonal relations
are influenced by chronic changes in the way the individual perceives another person, due to
splitting. In a study conducted on relationships of individuals with BPD, it was found that in stress
Figure 2: Demonstrates the different stages of borderline personality disorder in that this may be due to mistrust
a simple format that a new audience will be able to visibly see. https://cdn-
images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*TiWwiC0Ua8IhXZxtNLnVmQ.jpeg
3
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
and emotional distance4. It is important to understand that Borderline Personality Disorder is a
mental illness that is not brought upon physical injuries and are not triggered by substance abuse
unlike other mental illness such as PTSD (war injuries, car accident) or body dysmorphia5.
Red or blue pill, black or white, all or nothing, a mindset that only opposite
extremes exist and there is no gray ‘normal’ area of identifying things, this is the
sort of perspective that someone with BPD possess. This mindset makes having
one side of the spectrum, ideal and perfect, and at any change in the other person
will antagonize them in the eyes of the individual with BPD. To be able to explain a
non-BPD individual the difference between how they process information gathered
to a text message or arrives late to a meeting, Figure 3: Splitting explanation through clip art. Splitting
can be easily expressed through the lack of perception an
individual with BPD may have on the complexity of other
suddenly the BPD individual feels abandoned people, being unable to see a dimensional person, instead
seeing them as Good or Evil.
4
Annemarie, Miano; Luna, Grosselli; Stefan, Roepke; Isabel Dziobek. “Emotional dysregulation in borderline
personality disorder and its influence on communication behavior and feelings in romantic relationships” Behavior
Research and Therapy Volume 95 Pages 148-157 (August 2017)
5
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
by the person and antagonizes them identifying that they were always evil and
always will be 6.
listed as activities that can cause dysfunction to everyday living such as overspending, self-harm7.
For example, an individual during a mania episode (feeling ‘too happy’ or overwhelming emotions
that are not depressive) may have a sudden rush to go to Las Vegas and max out all their credit
cards on designer items and once they crash from the episode, they will feel immense guilt and
mental torment. It is often described by BPD individuals as being a back-seat driver to your own
life, and you have no control over what the person on the wheel does8. There is no known etiology
that indicates why individuals with BPD are prone to acting impulsively.
Etiology:
6
https://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/news-and-research/understanding-borderline-personality-disorder-
relationships/
7
https://www.verywellmind.com/impulsive-behavior-and-bpd-425483
8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOnNk-8gSe8
In most recent studies that cover BPD, there has been a movement towards researching possible
imbalances and dysfunctions in the brain that can contribute to the possible causes of BPD. The
study, reduced white matter integrity in borderline personality disorder: A diffusion tensor imaging
study, discusses the possible connections that BPD has to other mental illnesses such as ADHD
and depression based on the scans that have been done on individuals with the listed disorders and
therefore theorizing that their etiologies could be similar9. This means that if an individual has
another mental disorder, they may also be in the spectrum of being diagnosed with borderline
personality disorder. In the same study, data showed that there were some visible changes in brain
activity that matches other mental disorders that are affected by less white matter; however it was
found inconclusive, the researchers described some significant change in the occipital lobe which
is known for the visual processing of information located in the back of the brain.9 Unfortunately,
there are no concrete or agreed upon etiology for BPD or risk factors like most other mental
illnesses therefore the behaviors that individuals possess and the psychiatric history of an
Figure 3: Shows the percentages of people that have a Personality Disorder v. Borderline that may also have another
disorder. that https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/personality-disorders.shtml#part_155481
9
Ninomiya, Taiga; Oshita, Harumi; Kawano, Yoshihisa; Goto, Chiharu; Matsuhashi, Mai; Masuda, Koji; Takita,
Fuku; Izumi, Toshihiko; Inoue, Ayako; Higuma, Haruka; Kanehisa, Masayuki; Akiyoshi, Jotaro. “Reduced white
matter integrity in borderline personality disorder: A diffusion tensor imaging study” Journal of Affective Disorders,
Vol.225, pp.723-732 (2018)
10
Salters-Pedneault, P Kristalyn. “Splitting and Borderline Personality Disorder” VeryWell Mind
https://www.verywellmind.com/impulsive-behavior-and-bpd-425483
Acknowledgements:
Big thank you to Justine for keeping me on high alert on requirements for the paper such as
adding footnotes and changing the tone to fit the audience specifically.
Bibliography:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/personality-disorders.shtml#part_155481 National
Ninomiya, Taiga; Oshita, Harumi; Kawano, Yoshihisa; Goto, Chiharu; Matsuhashi, Mai; Masuda,
Koji; Takita, Fuku; Izumi, Toshihiko; Inoue, Ayako; Higuma, Haruka; Kanehisa, Masayuki;
Akiyoshi, Jotaro. “Reduced white matter integrity in borderline personality disorder: A diffusion
Annemarie, Miano; Luna, Grosselli; Stefan, Roepke; Isabel Dziobek. “Emotional dysregulation
in borderline personality disorder and its influence on communication behavior and feelings in
romantic relationships” Behavior Research and Therapy Volume 95 Pages 148-157 (August
2017)
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-splitting-425210 (2018)
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
The most important strategies for my definition were comparing and contrasting borderline
personality disorder to other mental illnesses, because although they may have overlapping
criteria for diagnosis, they also have crucial differences. Short examples of what psychological
terms such as splitting and an example of what impulsive behaviors feels like from a BPD
individual’s perspective. Graphics were difficult to use in my definition as research in BPD that
provides visual representation is scare, illustrations can demonstrate emotions that words cant
convey academically.