Just as narcissistic personality disorder is an epidemic among men, so is borderline personality disorder in women. Where those diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder are roughly 80% men, the opposite is true for borderline personality disorder, which tends to show up more in women. I am working with so many clients who have either borderline wives or mothers. Sometimes both. Most people involved with a borderline woman find her to be near impossible to deal with.

Borderline Personality Disorder is normally the result of severe abuse and trauma in early childhood. It can have within its structure elements of complex post traumatic stress disorder and high sensitivity and reactivity.

Borderline Personality Disorder is a Cluster B personality disorder like narcissism. Borderlines have many narcissistic characteristics, such as self absorption, lack of empathy for the pain and suffering they cause others, explosive tempers, highly reactivity and difficulty maintaining healthy relationships.

Healing from borderline personality disorder can be a very difficult task, especially since so many women with BPD don’t recognize that they need help.  If they do reach out for help, they don’t always respond well to therapy because their high levels of sensitivity make them extremely reactive to confrontation.  Many borderlines will leave therapy when they are asked to look at something within themselves that they don’t want to look at.

Taking responsibility for one’s own behavior is the most important part of having success in therapy; however this is a challenge for most borderlines.  It is easier to find fault in others than look deep enough into ones own psyche to make lasting changes.

In this episode of Pandoras Box, I do a deep dive into Borderline Personality Disorder, especially as it applies to women. If you think you have a borderline wife, girlfriend, sister, Mother or friend, you will want to tune in. If you believe you might be borderline yourself, you will want to tune in as well.