Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is defined within psychiatry and related psychological fields as a disorder characterized primarily by emotional dysregulation, extreme "black and white" thinking, or "splitting", and turbulent relationships. It can also be described by mental health professionals as a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in mood, interpersonal relationships, self-image, identity, and behavior, and a disturbance in the individual's sense of self.

While a patient with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks, a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of depression, anxiety, or anger that may last only minutes, hours, or at most a day.

Another symptom of BPD is self-destructive behavior which can cover a wide range of activities. The most well-known and most recognizable symptom of a borderline patient is self-cutting, usually of the arms, but often other areas such as the legs, chest, belly, and face. Cutting may or may not be carried out with suicidal intent, even though both entail an increased chance of suicide and self-injury attempts are highly common among patients.

The disturbances suffered by those with borderline personality disorder have a wide-ranging and pervasive negative impact on many or all of the psychosocial facets of life, including employability and relationships in work, home and social settings.

...More at Wikipedia 

Related Links:

• National Institute of Mental Health
• BPDCentral
• Mayo Clinic

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