4 Types of Borderline Personality Disorder
Do you know that over 1.6% of the whole population is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder? This mental disorder makes it hard to communicate with people and build strong relationships for a patient. Moreover, it often leads to self-destructive behavior patterns, and the levels of suicidal attempts in BPD people are extremely high. Over 10% of BPD-diagnosed persons commit suicide [1].
Yet, like every personality is unique, borderline personality disorder also manifests in different ways in different people. Regarding the scope of symptoms, which are characteristic of BPD, specialists outline 4 types of BPD. You can learn more about what are the 4 types of borderline personality disorder in this URP Behavioral Health blog article.
Four Types of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): What Are They?
Typically, the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder is based on the presence of at least 5 of 9 distinctive diagnostic criteria, which are as follows:
- Constant feeling of being empty
- Unstable emotions when it comes to standard daily routines
- Fear of abandonment and development of behavior intended to avoid a real or fake abundance
- Features of identity disturbance
- Impulsive behavior concerning self-damaging areas
- Low anger control
- Unstable relationships
- Recurring self-harming or suicidal behavior
- Dissociative symptoms
Although diagnostics of BPD are generally based on these criteria, there are 4 types of borderline personality disorder with their specific traits. Often, you may also meet the term which sounds like ‘4 subtypes of BPD’ referring to the same phenomenon.
Today, scientists define 4 different types of BPD:
- Discouraged borderline personality disorder
- Impulsive type of BPD
- Petulant BPD
- Self-destructive borderline personality disorder
Let’s consider their distinctive features and differences.
Discouraged borderline personality disorder
This type of BPD is the most difficult to diagnose as the patients suffering from it can mimic well. That’s what psychiatric science calls ‘high-functioning BPD’ or ‘quiet BPD’. Typically, a person with discouraged BPD shows a unique blend of dependence on other people with the avoiding coping strategy. Such patients are highly loyal and show humility but they tend to avoid other people.
The most characteristic patterns of discouraged BPD are as follows:
- They tend to search for their identity in relationships. BPD patients of that type are heavily dependent on their partners and when their relationships end, it can be a disastrous challenge for them.
- In these patients, the fear of abundance is at the highest rate among all 4 BPD subtypes.
- They often feel heavily depressed and powerless.
- Due to their powerless self-image, discouraged BPD patients cannot express anger or aggression directly, and this often results in self-aggression.
Impulsive borderline personality disorder
As you can see from this term, impulsive BPD is characterized by uncontrolled impulsive behavior which often transforms into extremely risky behavior patterns. For patients of that BPD type, the following traits are characteristic:
- High aggression levels resulting in outbursts of rage
- Self-destructive and bingeing behavioral patterns with the tendency for getting an addiction.
- Delusions and false self-identification with instant swings from feeling powerful to feeling powerless
At the same time, people with this type of BPD often are active, full of energy, expressing stunning charisma, and engaging everyone.
Petulant borderline personality disorder
For this type of BPD, the most cardinal mood swings are typical. Persons with petulant borderline personality disorder can feel sad and in a moment they shine with glory. This feature is combined with manipulative behavior and a constant feeling of being unloved. This results in:
- Manipulative or over controlling behavior in their relationships
- Passive aggression
- Substance abuse or binging behavior due to dissatisfaction with their relationships or self-identification.
Self-destructive borderline personality disorder
This is the heaviest one among the four subtypes of BPD. People with self-destructive BPD suffer from self-hatred and they feel they are bad and unworthy. This impacts their behavior making it:
- Self-harmful
- Suicidal
- Tending to addictions and substance abuse
- Adrenaline-seeking
These people are unstoppable in their self-destruction although they cannot even understand where this way may lead them.
Can You Have All 4 Types of BPD at Once?
Although these four types of borderline personality disorder differ one from another, it is quite possible to have a couple of them at once. Moreover, the complexity of the human nervous system and brain functions make it possible to express the features of all 4 different types of BPD at once or have them change over time. For example, two research cases held in 2005, proved that 88% of patients experienced a remission after their 10-year-long BPD experience [2]. The same refers to changing the type of BPD over time due to specific reasons as follows:
- Getting into the therapy
- Changing lifestyle and environment
- Recurring traumatic experience or its full mitigation
Specialists are not completely sure what makes patients with BPD change their symptomatic and psychological patterns over time, but it is quite possible similarly to acquire multiple features of all four subtypes of BPD.
Treatment Approaches for Different Types of BPD: What Are the Differences Between Them?
As for the most effective treatment, for all 4 different types of BPD, it is based on medication therapy intended to reduce self-destructive and suicidal behavior and ease the symptoms of depression and delusions.
At the same time, psychological therapy for each of the subtypes should be different:
- For discouraged BPD, it is such types of psychotherapy as DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and MBT (Mentalization-Based Therapy)
- For impulsive BPD, the main therapy types include CBT and DBT
- For petulant BPD, DBT remains the most effective, especially in combination with life skills development for stress tolerance and emotional control
- For self-destructive BPD, SFT (Schema-Focused Therapy) should be added to previous treatment methods
A Short Recap of BPD Types and Their Therapy Peculiarities
Like every personality is unique, borderline personality disorder can manifest in multiple unique ways. Today, 4 types of BPD are highlighted, but you can express each of them so all 4 at once. In URP Behavioral Health, you can get remedies for all four types of BPD based on the guidance of professional psychologists and therapists. Each treatment plan is developed custom to guarantee the results for each patient.
