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How Do We Describe How a Borderline Acts?
How
can we put it all into just one nutshell description when people
with the Borderline disorder
come in so many different shapes, sizes, colors and flavors?
Some explode into rages. Some lurk
quietly in the background and then attack. Others withdraw for
days, weeks ... months. Some control the actions of their
partner, even stalking them. There are signs of depression, even
at times to the point of attempting suicide.
Some do all of the above. The
list seems endless, twisting and turning the Borderline's partner as
each new behavior is exhibited.
How do we describe to others the
never knowing from one minute to the next whether they'll
explode at us? How can we tell people how nervous we feel when
it gets quiet? Are they withdrawing and building up steam for a
volcano act? Or are they quietly watching us, looking for signs
that we are leaving? How do we describe the feelings of having a
ticking time bomb in our own home - our supposed-to-be safe
place?
In 1994, the American Psychiatric
Association added to its list of criteria for mental illnesses
ten types of personality disorders, all of which result in
significant distress and/or negative consequences within the
individual. This information was included in its Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DMS-IV),
Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 1994, pp.
650-654.
Persons with Borderline
Personality Disorder display a pervasive pattern of instability
of interpersonal relationships and self-image, with marked
impulsivity beginning by early adulthood. This behavior can be
present in a variety of contexts as indicated by the following:
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