Borderline Personality Disorder Analysis

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a strong predictor of violence and offending in women. It also predisposes those who suffer from it to criminal activity in general. The main reason for this is two of the main Borderline traits are emotional instability and impulsivity, which are both characteristics that are found in offenders. If someone is unstable and not thinking clearly and is also impulsive they are not going to think about the consequences of their actions (Karsten, Vogel, & Lancel, 2015).
BPD prevalence rates in the United States are stated to be around 1.6%. The rate is different for mental health settings with prevalence rates from 15% to 20% (Loveless, Whited, Rhodes, Cellucci, 2016). Although BPD affects both men and women, …show more content…
Though reports of the disorder date back much further, as early as 1938. The name Borderline came from the idea that those who suffered from this were on the border between neurotic and psychotic (Kaufman, & Crowell, 2016). Borderline Personality Disorder usually begins in early adulthood and affects individuals in a variety of ways. People who suffer from this disorder can exhibit any of the nine symptoms that are stated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition: avoiding real or imagined abandonment; unstable and intense interpersonal relationships; unstable self-image; impulsivity that could be damaging; suicidal behavior; affective instability; feelings of emptiness; inappropriate intense anger; and transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms. One of the biggest aspects mentioned is the threat of abandonment. People with BPD have an intolerance to being alone. When they are left alone they often will act out in anger (American Psychiatric Association, …show more content…
Whether it is from a buildup up emotional instability and impulsivity that leads them to act without thinking (Karsten et al., 2015). Or whether it is the feeling of jealousy and abandonment that leads someone to feel so empty that they may want to kill (Declercq et al., 2011). Or whether it is someone who wants to fill that empty space with drugs and alcohol so they no longer have to feel those terrible feelings (Darke et al., 2007). There are a vast number of criminal activities that the Borderline may take part in because there are so many different characteristics and aspects of their disorder (Sansone et al., 2012). This is why it is necessary for early identification of this disorder. If it is identified while the child or adolescent is still young the treatment can begin sooner. If the person is properly treated and learns early how to adapt to the characteristics of the disorder then it is likely that they will be less likely to engage in criminal activity in the future (Arola et al., 2016). Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Schema-Focused Therapy both show positive and promising results. DBT by itself was able to help rehabilitate women who had committed violent crimes (Nee et al., 2007). The combination of DBT and SFT also seemed to be beneficial as it improved the daily life of the

Show More