Borderline personality disorder?

[Sylvia]

I read that self injury is sometimes associated with borderline personality disorder. I read up on the disorder a little bit though I cannot say that I am fully informed. I suffer from depression and I self injure.I was wondering if any of you could enlighten me on the topic of BPD. I'm assuming that if of the disorder applied to myself got my therapist would have already diagnosed it. I hasten that my depression and self injury are separate isolated incidents but I am uncertain as to if my psychologist found out about my cutting that she would think differently. Or perhaps that wouldn't change things at all. I really don't know. I wish I knew why hurt myself because there are other ways to cope and yet sometimes they're just not enough. I apologize for my ignorance but I was hoping that perhaps those who have more knowledge on the subject could enlighten me. Thanks.

~ Sylvia

 

[David Baxter PhD]

borderline personality disorder?

That's correct, Sylvia. I would say that it is not at all uncommon for individuals with borderline personality disorder to evidence self-injurious behaviors.

The reverse is not necessarily true, however. The fact that someone engages in self-injury does not necessarily mean they meet the criteria for borderline personality disorder.

 

[themanwhowas]

borderline personality disorder?

BPD is as related to SI as breathing.the fact is that BPD is a very generic term and as far as im aware is one of the most over diagnosed disorders. you can explain most problems with BPD which is why most doctors/counselors use this term after ruling out every other possibility, but this does not mean that its true. i believe that its somewhere in the region of 5% of the population can be diagnosed as having BPD but only about 0.5% actually have it.

people SI for different reasons and there is nothing really wrong with it if it helps you to cope with life. you are right in saying that there are better ways to cope, indeed less harmfull ways, but as it stands this is your way and as long as you are carfull then there is nothing to worry about. i do advise however, that you do tell your counselor about this, it is his/her job to provide you with therapy, which can not be fully achieved if they do not know fully the extent of your issues.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

borderline personality disorder?

people SI for different reasons and there is nothing really wrong with it if it helps you to cope with life. you are right in saying that there are better ways to cope, indeed less harmfull ways, but as it stands this is your way and as long as you are carfull then there is nothing to worry about.

I would not agree that there is nothing to worry about. That's like saying a cocaine or crystal meth addict has nothing to worry about as long as s/he is careful. They are by their very nature self-destructive behaviors.

The behavior is happening for a reason. And it will continue happening, intermittently if not continously, until the feelings that are driving the behavior are identified and addressed.

As for your second point about borderline personality disorder, it may be that it is overdiagnosed today -- I'd say that's true of a couple of other disorders as well and may be the fault of imprecision in the DSM-IV or lack of adequate training in its use. I would definitely agree that it is NOT synonymous with self-injury and that a lot of individuals who self-injure do not meet the criteria for borderline personlaity disorder. However, it is not a "generic term": It is a diagnosis with specific criteria.

 

[themanwhowas]

borderline personality disorder?

i believe that i mis-represented my views when i said that BPD was a generic term. what i actually meant was that it is often used as a generic disorder. i also think that cocaine abuse can be compared to SI by way of a coping strategy, but there is no careful way to abuse drugs. if as Sylvia says, other ways of coping are sometimes just not enough, then cutting would be psychologically more healthy than not. i have often found with self harmers that the stigma of cutting causes a lot of stress in itself. if we could accept it as an unorthodox yet natural coping strategy then we may begin to address the cause instead of the symptoms.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

borderline personality disorder?

if we could accept it as an unorthodox yet natural coping strategy then we may begin to address the cause instead of the symptoms.

I think you'll find that most competent psychologists and other therapists already view it as a coping strategy -- I'd still take issue with the description of it as "natural". It is best understood as a way of expressing or coping with negative feelings that the individual is not able to express in more direct healthy ways. That's neither "natural" nor entirely effective or successful as a coping strategy.

There is a stigma to most "mental disorders" and I do agree that is both shameful and difficult to change. Many of these disorders are also understood to be coping strategies, or to have their foundation in various sorts of defense mechanisms. That doesn't make them either healthy or "natural".