I Hate You--Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality

by Jerold J. Kreisman

Although we abhor the implied disrespect and dehumanization of referring to people by their medical conditions (“Check on the gallbladder in the next room!”), we have nevertheless chosen, for the sake of clarity and efficiency, to sometimes refer to individuals by their diagnosis. For example, we use the term “borderline(s)” as a kind of shorthand to represent the more precise designation, “human being(s) who exhibit(s) symptoms consistent with the diagnosis Borderline Personality Disorder, as defined by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR).”

“‘Person with BPD’ is too hard to say so I choose to dehumanize them ❤️.”