Question

DSM-5 DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

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GPT-4o mini
The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) outlines specific criteria for diagnosing Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). A person must meet at least five of the following criteria:

1. **Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.** (Note: this does not include suicidal behaviors or self-mutilating behaviors.)

2. **A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.**

3. **Identity disturbance:** marked and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.

4. **Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging** (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating). (Note: this does not include suicidal behaviors or self-mutilating behaviors.)

5. **Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior.**

6. **Affective instability** due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).

7. **Chronic feelings of emptiness.**

8. **Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger** (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights).

9. **Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms.**

### Additional Information:
- Symptoms must be stable over time, and the personality pattern must be pervasive and inflexible.
- The impairment must be significant in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning.
- The onset of symptoms must occur in early adulthood and be present in a variety of contexts.

Diagnosing BPD requires a comprehensive assessment by a qualified mental health professional. It's important to approach treatment with an understanding of the complex nature of this disorder.

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