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Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• Borderline personality disorder facts
• What is borderline personality disorder (BPD)?
• What other disorders often occur with BPD?
• What causes borderline personality disorder?
• What are the risk factors for borderline personality disorder?
• What are borderline personality disorder symptoms and signs?
• How is borderline personality disorder diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for borderline personality disorder?
• What are borderline personality disorder complications?
• What is the prognosis of people with borderline personality disorder?
• How can borderline personality disorder be prevented?
• Where can I get more information on borderline personality disorder?
• Patient Comments: Borderline Personality Disorder - Symptoms
• Find a local Psychiatrist in your town
• Borderline Personality Disorder Index

As per the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Treatment Revision) definition, in order to qualify for the diagnosis of BPD, an individual must have at least five of the following symptoms:

• Unstable self-image, in that they may drastically and rapidly change in the way they perceive their own likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, goals, and intrinsic value as a person
• Unstable relationships, in that individuals with this disorder rapidly, drastically, and often frequently change from seeing another person as nearly perfect (idealizing) to seeing the other person as being virtually worthless (devaluing)
• Unstable emotions (affects), in that the sufferer experiences marked, rapid changes in feelings (for example, severe anger, joy, euphoria, anxiety, including panic attacks and depression) that are stress related, even if the stresses may be seen as minor or negligible to others
• Desperate efforts to avoid being abandoned, whether the abandonment is real or imagined
• Significant impulsivity, in that the person with BPD tends to act before thinking to the point that it is self-damaging (for example, sexual behaviors, spending habits, eating habits, driving behaviors, or in the use of substances)
• Recurring suicidal behaviors, threats, or attempts
• Chronic feelings of emptiness
• Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty managing their anger when it occurs
• Transient, stress-related paranoia or severe dissociation (lapses in memory)