Case Study: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Nancy, age 23, has just been hospitalized after she reported to her college roommate, Carol, that she had swallowed a bottle of aspirin. She has been stabilized in the ER and has been admitted to the psychiatric unit. This is Nancy’s third hospitalization for similar behavior since age 15. Nancy reports that her parents were divorced when she was 3 years old. She has not seen her father since that time. She lived with her mother until she was 6 years old, and then her mother left her with her grandmother and went to “seek fame and fortune” in Hollywood. She sees her mother rarely. Nancy’s roommate tells the admitting nurse that Nancy has been a “nervous” person ever since she has known her. “She has mood swings, and the smallest things will set her off. Once when she was particularly ‘down,’ I walked in on her sitting on her bed. It looked like she was cutting her arm with a razor blade. When I confronted her about it, she denied it. But I saw the blood. It really freaked me out!” Nancy’s boyfriend recently broke up with her. Nancy has had a succession of boyfriends since high school. All of her relationships are very intense, and she becomes hysterical and then despondent when a boy breaks off his relationship with her. Her previous hospitalizations have been in response to these breakups. Physical exam is unremarkable except for visible scars on the undersides of both upper arms. Diagnosis: Borderline Personality Disorder. Answer the following questions:
1. Explain the etiology of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
2. Provide clinical manifestations of this condition. What are clinical criteria of this condition according to DSM V?
3. Develop a treatment plan for this patient.
4. What treatment options are available for individuals with personality disorders? List both therapy and psychopharmacological interventions specifically for BPD.
