Borderline Personality Disorder - Understanding It, History, Treatment, Closing - Includes Outline and Bibliography

Essay by karmaboyUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, June 2003

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OUTLINE

I.Understanding Borderline Personality

A.Common Stereotypes

B.Characteristics & Symptoms

1.Fear of Abandonment

2.Impulsivity & Self-Damaging Behavior

3.Difficulty Controlling Anger

4.Brief Psychotic Episodes

C.Prevalence in Society

1.Celebrity & Film Example

II.History of Classification

A.Personality Organization

B.Atypical Form of Other Personality Disorders

C.Independent Disorder

III.Causal & Contributory Factors

A.Psychoanalytic

1.Object-Relations Theory

2.Developmental Model

B.Childhood Abuse

IV.Treatment Methods

A.Psychoeducational Approach

1."Joining"

2."Multiple Family Group" Sessions

B.Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

1.Main Treatment Tasks

2.Stages of Treatment

C.Alternatives

V.Closing Statement

Understanding BPD

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) might sound a somewhat less-serious problem or perhaps a disorder that resists being categorized. However, both are stereotypes having strong roots in the disorder's history. Originally, the term "borderline" was used to describe a condition that was thought to "border" between neurotic and psychotic disorders. Its unusual and often confusing symptoms, combined with a lack of information at that time, led to an indistinct use of terminology, and consequently, misconceptions in definition.

Since the DSM-III, it has been recognized as a unique type of personality disorder, and fairly recently, much concerning its etiology, course, and treatment has been identified.

Borderline individuals, sometimes referred to as "borderlines", generally display a pattern of behavior marked by disruptions in identity, mood, and close personal relationships. First, their basic identity often has serious problems and is especially unstable. Likewise, it is standard to find their relationships are also quite erratic. In addition, the borderline may carry out desperate efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, become verbally abusive, threaten suicide, or have intense outbursts of anger with little provocation (Carson, Butcher & Mineka, 2000).

The borderline will often seek a relationship, not necessarily romantic, with someone who they believe cares about them and will be accessible. In addition to focusing on one person at...