The 4 Subtypes of Borderline Personality Disorder
Sorting out the differences and misunderstandings
“Personalities are like impressionistic paintings. At a distance, each person is 'all of a piece’; up close, each is a bewildering complexity of moods, cognitions, and motives.” — Theodore Millon
Did you know there are four recognized types of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)? If you didn’t know, you’re not alone.
According to the DSM-V (2013), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is “…a pervasive and chronic pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity, beginning in early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts as indicated by five (or more) of the following”:
· Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
· A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation
· Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self
· Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex…
