Borderline Personality Disorder Exam Questions and
Answers
Borderline personality disorder:
characterized by disruptive pattern of instability related to self-identity, interpersonal
relationships, and affects, combined with marked impulsivity and destructive behavior
interpersonal relationships, self-identity, affect
Unstable Interpersonal Relationships:
(hallmark indicator of disorder)
Extreme fear of abandonment
History of unstable attachments
Constantly seeking reassurance and validation
Idealize others and establish intense relationships that violate others' interpersonal
boundaries, which leads to rejection
Intense shame and self-hate follow relationship failures and often result in self-injurious
behaviors
"Best friends" may be healthcare workers because other relationships don't last.
Personality disorder
enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior
deviates from expectations of culture
onset in adolescents or early adulthood
Inability to relate with empathy or intimacy
Social and occupational impairment
Occurs in about 10% of the general population
Does not perceive self as having a problem
BPD
Appear more competent than they actually are
Set unrealistically high expectations for themselves and, when not met, feel intense
shame, self-hate, and self-directed anger
One crisis after another
Minimal coping skills
Intensity of emotions often frightens them and others
Others limit their contact with them because of emotional intensity
Feelings of intense anger and profound abandonment are long-term problems
Unstable Self-Image: Identity Diffusion
No sense of their own identity or their personality is poorly developed
Commonly direct their actions in accord with the wishes of other people.
Ex: "I am a singer because of my mother."
Look for someone else to identify with or be like
Unstable Affects
Affective instability: rapid and extreme shift in mood
Core characteristic of BPD
Friends may describe as moody, irresponsible, or intense
Limited ability to regulate anger, anxiety, sadness, and disgust
Cognitive dysfunctions
Answers
Borderline personality disorder:
characterized by disruptive pattern of instability related to self-identity, interpersonal
relationships, and affects, combined with marked impulsivity and destructive behavior
interpersonal relationships, self-identity, affect
Unstable Interpersonal Relationships:
(hallmark indicator of disorder)
Extreme fear of abandonment
History of unstable attachments
Constantly seeking reassurance and validation
Idealize others and establish intense relationships that violate others' interpersonal
boundaries, which leads to rejection
Intense shame and self-hate follow relationship failures and often result in self-injurious
behaviors
"Best friends" may be healthcare workers because other relationships don't last.
Personality disorder
enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior
deviates from expectations of culture
onset in adolescents or early adulthood
Inability to relate with empathy or intimacy
Social and occupational impairment
Occurs in about 10% of the general population
Does not perceive self as having a problem
BPD
Appear more competent than they actually are
Set unrealistically high expectations for themselves and, when not met, feel intense
shame, self-hate, and self-directed anger
One crisis after another
Minimal coping skills
Intensity of emotions often frightens them and others
Others limit their contact with them because of emotional intensity
Feelings of intense anger and profound abandonment are long-term problems
Unstable Self-Image: Identity Diffusion
No sense of their own identity or their personality is poorly developed
Commonly direct their actions in accord with the wishes of other people.
Ex: "I am a singer because of my mother."
Look for someone else to identify with or be like
Unstable Affects
Affective instability: rapid and extreme shift in mood
Core characteristic of BPD
Friends may describe as moody, irresponsible, or intense
Limited ability to regulate anger, anxiety, sadness, and disgust
Cognitive dysfunctions
