Borderline Personality Disorder “Discouraged Type”: A Case Report

Abstract

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental illness associated with a significant degree of distress and impairment because of the difficulties in effectively regulating emotions. BPD is frequently associated with Depressive Disorders, most commonly Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymia. Here, we present a case report of an 18-year-old female patient hospitalized with a severe depressive episode and psychotic symptoms. A few months after discharge, the interpersonal difficulties, unstable self-image, fear of chronic abandonment, feeling of emptiness, paranoid ideation, helplessness, obsessive-compulsive elements, perfectionism, and social retreat led to the patient’s impaired functionality. The spectrum of signs and symptoms presented were characteristic of BPD. The specific presentation of mixed dependent/avoidant pattern of personality, with persistent feelings of guilt and shame, social anxiety, emotional attachments, obsessions, and feelings of inadequacy have further narrowed the diagnosis to discouraged BPD, as described by Theodore Millon. In our case, this particular subtype of personality disorder can be understood as BPN associated with social perfectionism. Both BPD and perfectionism, as a trait personality, were thought to exacerbate issues with self-conception and identity formation in this patient.