what is it with people claiming that cutting is sufficient to diagnose borderline personality disorder?

Question

A DIAGNOSIS OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER REQUIRES FIVE OF NINE DIAGNOSITIC CRITERIA BE MET. Cutting is one of the nine possible symptoms that can make up the five needed for a diagnosis, but it itself not sufficient to diagnose BPD. Cutting itself isn't enough to diagnose any recognized disorder. See here for more info: http://www.recoveryourlife.com/Self_Harm_Information/Self_Harm/Self_Harm_Myths/default.aspx

i didn't say it's not serious, i said it's not sufficient to diagnose BPD. i said that because tons of ppl have said that b/c i cut i must have BPD and it's getting pretty annoying. i happen to be entirely correct that cutting doesn't mean i have BPD, and in point of fact, by every reliable measure, I don't have a single other symptom of BPD.

i'm not qualified to diagnose BPD, but the multiple mental health professionals who have determined that i do NOT have it most certainly are. and i didn't say it's my only concern, i'm just sick of having ignorant morons telling me i have BPD when i actually don't and then proceeding to argue the point as if they know more about it than the qualified mental health professionals who say i don't have BPD.

Answer 1

Regardless of weather or not you have BPD or not you are exhibiting clear signs of mental illness and you need to get help.

Answer 2

You are correct, cutting isn't enough in fact the only way you can be diagnosed is not just through meeting the 9 criteria but through undergoing an intensive examination by a qualified psychiatrist. It is a lot harder to be diagnosed with it then just through cutting. i would like to point out though, as someone supporting a diagnosed bpd that denying there is an illness and refusing to seek treatment are often part of the illness. I don't know if you have it or not, maybe you are one hundred percent correct in saying that it's not you. I don't know you and I'm not qualified to diagnose or not, either way you're in a very difficult place and i can only hope that you can find a way to deal with your hurt. I am sorry for your pain and frustration. I have seen first hand how difficult it can be just to live and although i can never fully understand because they are your emotions, i can relate to how you feel.

Answer 3

Hi there. I have borderline personality disorder and I've never cut myself. I have five different symptoms.

I think that cutting behavior is often linked with BPD because it is a characteristic that many with the personality disorder have. My understanding of the reason people cut is to relieve hurt. I relieve hurt by screaming or causing a crisis or hitting something or breaking something -- but not myself. Others (cutters) may be hurting themselves. My therapist tells me that by causing this crisis (a broken item, a cut on an arm), we are causing our nervous systems to somehow "reset" like a circuit breaker that has been overloaded.

I'm guessing that you don't like the label of having BPD, and I get that. It's one that is completely misunderstood and has an awful reputation. I can also tell you that it is one that is completely curable, and is not a psychosis -- it does not mean you are crazy (or that I am :) because you have a personality disorder. It means you have a personality disorder.

I'm not sure what's happening with you, but if you are being labeled BPD for your cutting, and if you are being offered therapy for that -- TAKE IT. BPD is often treated with dialectical behavioral therapy, and the therapists trained to do this kind of therapy are the world's best -- the most supportive, intuitive and kind. They are taught to be human beings in therapy, they share personal experiences, they are available for phone calls between sessions.

In addition, you can get skills training classes as part of the DBT. I took the classes, they were deadly boring at times, but they built up in me an ability to truly manage the stress and the pain and the hurt and the anger in my life.

I wish I could make the anger poof away, make WHATEVER it is that causes you to harm yourself go away. Gee, I wish I could do that for myself, too. I'll be thinking about you.

Answer 4

The answer tyo your question is simply complete ignorance about the true nature of Borderline Personality and what it really is all about. And someone simply cutting ithemselves is NOT it. I have BPD myself and I will tell you there is FAR more to diagnosing it then someone simply cutting themselves. BPD is an extremely specific, serious and complex mental disorder that involves so many different psychological problems occuring at the same time that "cutting" is just icing on a massive cake of severe BPD issues with emotional regulation, self esteem, identity, perception of the world, polarized thinking..I could go on and on. Cutting is simply what many borderlines choose to do to self medicate because we are generally very self loathing and have no problem taking our anger and sadeness out on ourselves, just like some people use drugs or alcohol to deal. Self-injury alone though, is not even close to being a clear sign of BPD because altough many Borderlines do in fact cut themselves, some never do. And even though self injury is certainly a sign of something being wrong, that in and of itself does NOT make a Borderline. People who believe that, including doctors are extremely uninformed about the illness and that is really quite scary for people like me because we have to suffer because of such ignorance.

Answer 5

RE: Why do most people with Borderline Personality Disorder cut themselves? Why do most people with Borderline Personality Disorder cut themselves? Is this disorder like a really deep dark depression? What causes people to develop this disorder?

Answer 6

It may not be enough to LABEL a person with this , but it does not stop the fact that cutting is still a very serious problem and Label of it's own. That always needs a Dr.s immediate attention.
There is always a deeper reason why it is happening in the first place. That needs to be helped and resolved so the cutting stops.

Answer 7

From what I understand, cutting has nothing to do with BPD.
Cutting is taking the pain from within and placing it on the outside.

Answer 8

BPD is very hard to diagnose. as far as the cutting goes; what difference will it make by naming it, it is a serious dangerous illness.

Answer 9

Yes, you are right that only having one out of five indicators is not enough to be diagnosed BPD. Although this should hardly be your main concern right now...

Answer 10

I went to the doctor when i was at the worst of my depression and i hadn't spoken to anyone before now. All i did was show the doctor my cuts and she put me straight on anti depressants

I just want to say that this when I was younger and I am past this now and havn't cut in a very long time and i got help.