Q. Wouldn’t a diagnosis of complex PTSD be more appropriate for people like me, people that display borderline behaviors as the result of prolonged abuse or trauma?
Even if it isn’t cutting, isn’t it true that women who are perceived as obnoxious or excessively needy are given this diagnosis when they don’t fit into another category?
A. I believe that the BPD is for most victims a form of PTSD. It is not a label, but a real medical problem with consistent symptoms and consistent response to medications.
While there may be some people who may erroneously label “obnoxious or excessively needy” women as having the BPD, it has nothing to do with the BPD. The BPD is a medical problem.
Cutting is an uncommon symptom in borderlines. Most borderlines don’t cut themselves. Many individuals who could easily be treated for the BPD, don’t seek treatment because they erroneously assume they have to be more severe than they are. The diagnosis is not based upon severity, but upon persistence of symptoms. As an example, you can have strep throat and still be able to swallow – it’s the presence of a strep infection, not the severity of the illness, that defines the diagnosis.