Black and white thinking

Black-and-white or all-or-nothing thinking is a constant companion of the borderline patient. There are usually only these two possibilities for him. This thinking is found in dealing with other people, which means, for example, if someone cancels a date, it can only mean that he hates me. But it is also not rare in dealing with his own person. For example, if I am clumsy in my first tennis lesson, it may be that I never touch a tennis racket again and when asked, I may state that this is the stupidest sport there is.

Dissociation

Borderline dissociation describes a change in one’s own perception, thinking and controlled movement. Often borderline patients get into this state, which is perceived as very strange by the environment and the patient himself, without a concrete trigger. In this case they are not “completely in the world”. For example, they are not responsive and cannot move. After some time these symptoms disappear again and the borderline patients often cannot remember what happened.

Passive activity

Frequently, patients with borderline disease try not to communicate their suffering with words, but rather to show it, to demonstrate it. This is often done with great effort. Patients are then often unable to accept offers of help because they feel that they are inadequate. The aim here is that the other person can and will change the patient’s condition if he or she understands the suffering shown correctly. Mostly, however, this only leads to a turning away of the circle of acquaintances, because these people usually feel very helpless.

Depression as a symptom of borderline syndrome

The pure borderline disease itself is not associated with depression. However, patients suffering from a borderline personality disorder have an increased risk of other mental illnesses. These are known as comorbidities.

Among these diseases, which occur more frequently in borderline patients, are depression, addiction diseases (drug or alcohol addiction), anxiety disorders and eating disorders. Depression is the most common comorbidity in borderline disease. If depression is present in addition to borderline disease, the use of antidepressants can be helpful.

Borderline symptoms in men

The symptoms of a borderline personality disorder in men differ little from those in women. The clinical picture belongs to the emotionally unstable personality disorders. Accordingly, a very common symptom in sufferers is an unstable emotional behaviour pattern.

Thus, the emotions often fluctuate rapidly between two extremes. This is also evident in interpersonal relationships. The affected persons change rapidly from a pronounced need to lean back and fear of being left by their partner to emotional coldness and rejection.

Interpersonal relationships are therefore often characterised by a sometimes very stressful alternation between quarrelling and reconciliation or a rapid succession of relationship partners. Another common symptom for both men and women is an unstable self-image. This can be seen, for example, in frequently changing values or life plans and the inability to pursue long-term goals.

Self-deprecation also plays a major role here. Borderline personality disorder is often accompanied by self-endangering behaviour. This includes risky behaviour such as careless driving, drug abuse, promiscuity and eating disorders.

In addition, borderline personality disorder is often accompanied by self-injuring behaviour such as inflicting burns or cuts. Suicide attempts are also not uncommon in patients with a borderline disorder. Several reasons can be assumed for this behaviour, including the attempt to avoid being abandoned or the desire to feel oneself again or to release inner tension.

The reason for this is that patients often report suffering from an agonizing feeling of inner emptiness and numbness. In the case of the borderline disorder, so-called dissociative symptoms can occur. The patient feels alienated, a changed perception of space and time, the feeling that the affected person is standing next to him/herself and can no longer feel himself/herself.

Patients with a borderline disorder often develop a multiple dependence on addictive substances such as alcohol, nicotine and drugs (polytoxicomania). All these symptoms therefore occur in both women and men. However, there are symptoms that are more common in one sex or the other.

For example, men are more likely to exhibit pronounced impulsive behaviour with aggressive outbursts and high-risk behaviour and rebellion against authority. There are also differences in the co-morbidities, i.e. the diseases from which the affected persons suffer in addition to the borderline disorder. In males, antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders are probably more common, in women more often depression and eating disorders. Substance abuse is also said to be more common in men than in women.