Borderline Personality Disorder – The DSM-V (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) identifies the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) as a “persistent instability of interpersonal relationships, impulsivity in at least two areas of life, fear of abandonment, alternating between idealization and devaluation, identity disturbance, recurrent suicidal ideation, affective instability, chronic feelings of emptiness, inappropriate, intense anger, and severe dissociative symptoms.”
But what does that mean for the everyday person, how can a father or mother identify if their child is suffering from borderline personality disorder? There are some things that might help to determine if a friend or family member is suffering from BPD, such as if they are harming themselves in someway (e.g., cutting their own body, severely scratching themselves, burning their skin, pulling out hair). If they are quick to believe that you intend to leave them, break up, or divorce them even at the slightest hint of friction or disagreement, along with this fear of abandonment could be outbursts of anger, overt or passive aggression.
There might be an initial, extreme idealization of someone in which they express admiration, infatuation, and feelings of love toward someone they barely know. Yet, this positive affect quickly shifts to a very negative view of this person, expecting them to reject and abandon them like everyone else in their perspective. Their erratic feelings are often accompanied by depression, feelings of emptiness, and an uncertainty about who they are or want to be, including such things as drastic changes in their appearance, career plans, sexual identity, values, and circle of friends (APA, 2013).