Bpd @ MindSay

Last night I finished Tina Brown's book about Diana and if ever there was a description of a Borderline Personality Disorder... that was Diana Spencer. stormy relationships. Idealizing and demonizing people. suicidal ideation, paranoia, constant fear of abandonement, unstable self image and core, eating disorder.  Having been raised by a woman with BPD, I KNOW. trust me.

that marriage would have been hellish even if they were not the Wales'. But you know, I don't love her less, she was an amazing albeit highly troubled woman who brought something amazing to this world.

information from National Institute of Mental Health:

While a person with depression or bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for weeks, a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day.

Definately bouts of happy or positive emotions only last a short time. I generally always feel down, although maybe intense anger only lasts a few hours; but wouldn't that be true of everybody?

These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse.

I can't say I have any experience in substance abuse. The few occasions I do go out drinking I do tend to go overboard but I don't think that can contribute as a factor. Self-injury I can vouch for, unfortunately.

Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values.

I'm not sure about friendships and values, and definately not gender identity- i know i'm female and that's fine! - but I do often crisis over career plans, jobs, and aspirations into the future

Sometimes people with BPD view themselves as fundamentally bad, or unworthy.

I forever have a low opinion of myself.

I don't necessarily feel misunderstood or mistreated. Maybe by a few individuals, but not by the majority. I am almost always bored and empty. And I guess no, I don't really know who I am. I can't say I undergo frantic efforts to avoid being alone, but I am isolated I guess.

People with BPD often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While they can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike). Thus, they may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all.

I don't think I do this at all. Then again, the people [that would be] involved may say differently.

Even with family members, individuals with BPD are highly sensitive to rejection, reacting with anger and distress to such mild separations as a vacation, a business trip, or a sudden change in plans. These fears of abandonment seem to be related to difficulties feeling emotionally connected to important persons when they are physically absent, leaving the individual with BPD feeling lost and perhaps worthless.

I'm not sure about this.

Suicide threats and attempts may occur along with anger at perceived abandonment and disappointments.

I don't think I threaten suicide... but it's not like it hasn't happened before.

People with BPD exhibit other impulsive behaviors, such as excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD often occurs together with other psychiatric problems, particularly bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and other personality disorders.

I don't think I 'exhibit' any impulsive behaviours, though I suppose you could argue what happened last week will constitute to 'risky sex'. But it isn't like it was a conscious/sober choice I made, nor something that frequently happens, or will ever happen again. But if you really wanted to argue this case you could say I wouldn't really know if it was a conscious decision or not and how am I to know if it will happen again? As for other psychiatric problems, depression yes, I don't know about any of the others. I've never been given a 'definite' diagnosis. I guess that is what this could be.