Borderline Personality Disorder in the Film 'Single White Female'

What is Borderline Personality Disorder? Defined by the website www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.com, “Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness that causes unstable moods, behavior, and relationships. It usually begins during adolescence or early adulthood.” One may wonder what can be the cause of this disorder. BPD can be detected by an in-person interview about the symptoms that are occurring. The input from family and close friends of the individual that is being treated can also help detect the symptoms. The causes for BPD are not fully

Susanna Kayson is a character in the film Girl, interrupted that has borderline personality disorder (BPD) (Wick, Konrad, & Mangold, 1999). As Susanna Kayson meets 5 of the 9 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 criteria, Susanna can be diagnosed with BPD. According to criteria 1, Susanna often restrains from stating her true feelings about a situation or a person to maintain relationships. Lisa, a resident of the psychiatric ward, would tease or humiliate Daisy, eventually leading her to commit suicide. Susanna knew that Lisa’s actions were inappropriate but she did not stand up for Daisy. This is an example of criteria 1 (Barlow, Durand, Stewart, & Lalumiere, 2015). One day when Susanna’s boyfriend Toby came to visit, they are caught in the middle of a sexual act and decide to escape to the grounds. Toby said he wanted to be with her, and she stated that she had no inclination to be with him. This is an example of criteria 2. Susanna tries to commit suicide by consuming a bottle of aspirin with a bottle of vodka, and later also stated that she understands what it feels like to not want to be alive. This is an example of criteria 5. When the wife of a man who Susanna had an affair with confronts her, she begins to laugh. This is an example of criteria 6. Lastly, Susanna’s inability to understand her disorder causes her to have bouts of intense anger, which satisfies criteria 8 (Barlow et al., 2015).

     The movie, “Girl Interrupted,”is about a teenage girl named Susanna Kaysen who has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. People with Borderline Personality Disorder “are often emotionally unstable, impulsive, unpredictable, irritable, and anxious. They also are prone to boredom. Their behavior is similar to that of individuals with schizotypal personality disorder but they are not as consistently withdrawn and bizarre” (Santrock, 2003). In “Girl Interrupted” Susanna Kaysen the main character, goes through many episodes that give a picture of the disorder she’s suffering from. The first such incident occurs when the psychiatrist is talks to Susanna about her

A psychiatric disorder is, as Kristalyn Salters Pedneault defines it, a mental illness diagnosed by a mental health professional that 1.) greatly disturbs your thinking, moods and/or behaviors and 2.) seriously increase your risk of disability, pain, death, or loss of freedom. Will Hunting, in the movie Good Will hunting, suffers from four different psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), borderline personality disorder, mood disorder, and inferiority complex. What caused the development of all these disorder was the constant abuse that Will’s foster family gave to Will throughout his childhood. Growing up Will felt that he was responsible for the abuse that his foster family gave him, however, when he meets with

What does life with borderline personality disorder look like? A prime example would be Misery by Stephen King, the classic psychological thriller. Annie Wilkes, one of the main characters in the film, exhibits multiple signs and symptoms of having a psychological illness, making her subject to diagnosis. Through Annie’s behavior and emotional instability, it is evident that she has borderline personality disorder. This paper will provide a proper treatment plan and prognosis for her illness.

In order to be diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a patient must show “impairments in personality (self and interpersonal) functioning and the presence of pathological personality traits”, all of which are listed in the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (2013). According to the DSM V, a patient must have an identity disorder which includes having “unstable self-image, often associated with excessive self-criticism” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). A patient must also demonstrate impairments in empathy, which involves a “compromised ability to recognize the feelings and needs of others associated with interpersonal hypersensitivity” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This criterion does not mean

Girl Interrupted is a 1999 film in which Susanna, a high school senior on the verge of graduating with her class in 1967, is rushed to the Emergency Room because she consumed a whole bottle of Aspirin, followed by a bottle of Vodka. After being treated, Susanna is seen by a friend of her fathers, who is a Psychiatrist who believes that her actions were an attempt at suicide. Susanna, of course denies this, instead stating that she was making an effort to rid herself of a headache. The Psychiatrist recommends that she stay at a mental hospital named Claymore for a rest. While there, Susanna meets a number of individuals with a diverse array of disorders. One individual in particular, Lisa essentially runs the group of girls because

Abstract: This paper will discuss the causes and psychological impact of borderline personality disorder. It will also talk about how to treat those impacted by borderline personality disorder.

“Personality disorders have been documented in approximately 9 percent of the general U.S. population” (Angstman, Rasmussen, 2011). Emotional dysregulation disorder or its common name borderline personality disorder is a very serious and chronic disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) describes borderline personality disorder as “a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts” (Gardner, 2006). Within the last 20 years, psychologists and other mental health professionals have made tremendous strides in research on what exactly borderline personality disorder, some of its triggers and possible effective treatment options. Borderline personality disorder is defined as a disorder that generates severe emotional instability which can be a springboard that can lead to other stress induced mental and behavioral problems.

Assessment of the patient with borderline personality disorder is inclusive of the patient's: (1) physical; (2) emotional; (3) cognitive; (4) social; and (5) spiritual characteristics. These are assessed based on the patient's: (1) subjective reports; (2) interview records; and (3) behavioral

Likewise, the author read that Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is described as instability in interpersonal relationship, self-image and mood, a fast fluctuation between emotional states, impulsive behaviour and an inclination towards self-harm and suicidal thinking (NICE 2009).

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) affects about 4% of the general population, and at least 20% of the clinical psychiatric population. (Kernberg and Michels, 2009) In the clinical psychiatric population, about 75% of those with the disorder are women. BPD is also significantly heritable, with 42-68% of the variance associated

Furthermore, borderline personality disorder is clinically defined as ones instability which is evident in their relationships, emotions, behavior and image of themselves. Persons with such disorder may have feelings of abandonment. Often in efforts to manipulate people back into relationships, they take part in self-manipulating behavior or suicidal attempts. Suicide is sometimes attempted impulsively by persons in periods of extreme depression. In addition people often experience strong emotions and strong desires for intimacy.

Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) include a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and is marked impulsivity. BPD begins in early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts. Alice Klieg displays 6 of

People with BPD also experience different co-occurring disorders depending on their genders. In a research by Johnson et al. (2003) women with BPD were more common to have co-occurring disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and eating disorders, while men showed a greater tendency to have narcissistic,