R2488 Module 07 Borderline Personality Disorder Case Study
S.is a 48-year-old divorced woman with one adult daughter and three grandchildren. She is currently working as an LPN part-time in a nursing home and works at a convenience store one or two days per week. She has had many jobs over the last 22 years, usually changing every one or two years to a new job. S notes that she has been called less often to work in the convenience store and worries that they don’t like her anymore. She reports being written up several times for arguing with customers. She also reports that she liked her supervisor at; first; she says, “Now I hate her; she’s trying to get me fired.” S. reports that she has tried to get full-time jobs five times in the last four years was hired for three but only lasted one or two weeks at each one.
S. reports that she is currently not talking to her daughter because “she is mean to me and she needs to apologize, or I won’t talk to her again.” She is upset that she hasn’t seen her three small grandchildren in about a year. She sends them presents and cards frequently that say “I still love you! Grandma” but hasn’t called them since she stopped talking to her daughter. She is considering reporting to the county that her daughter is keeping her grandchildren from her.
S. is very unhappy that she isn’t in a relationship. She was abused by her ex-husband and had a pattern of meeting and dating men who eventually abused her. She states that her last relationship was very good; the man was not abusive, and “I loved him very much.” The relationship ended for reasons that S. doesn’t understand. However, she does report many arguments that ended in “scenes,” such as her throwing chairs, stomping out of the house, making crank phone calls to his family, and calling the police with false reports. But S. also reports that she “couldn’t have loved him more, and I showed it.” She gives examples of going to her boyfriend’s place of work with flowers, buying him expensive presents, surprising him with tickets to Mexico at the last minute – she was very upset that he wasn’t willing to drop everything and go with her. S. reports asking him why he didn’t love her and what she was doing wrong regularly. When the boyfriend asked to break up, S. reported sitting outside his house for weeks, crying; she called his mother, called his boss, and called and texted him until he filed a restraining order. This occurred about four months ago.
S. admitted herself to the mental health unit when she felt suicidal. She reports that she had stopped her psychotherapy three months ago and stopped going to DBT. She also stopped her anti-depressant at that time, as she felt it wasn’t working, and missed her last two psychiatrist appointments
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Based on the case study provided, it appears that S. exhibits several symptoms and behaviors consistent with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). BPD is a mental health disorder characterized by emotional instability, impulsive behavior, and difficulties in relationships. Here are some key features of BPD that are evident in S.’s case:
Unstable sense of self: S. displays uncertainty about her self-worth and struggles with her identity. She mentions feeling loved and hating her supervisor at her job, and she claims to have loved her ex-boyfriend intensely while exhibiting behaviors that are inconsistent with a healthy relationship.
Impulsive behavior: S. engages in impulsive actions, such as throwing chairs, making crank phone calls, and filing false reports to the police. She also demonstrates impulsive spending, buying expensive presents and surprising her ex-boyfriend with last-minute tickets to Mexico.
Unstable relationships: S.’s relationships are characterized by intense emotions, frequent arguments, and difficulties in maintaining them. She has a history of abusive relationships and exhibits a pattern of attracting and being attracted to abusive partners.
Fear of abandonment: S. fears being abandoned or rejected by her loved ones. She is not talking to her daughter, refuses to talk to her again until she apologizes, and is upset about not seeing her grandchildren.
Emotional dysregulation: S. experiences intense and rapidly shifting emotions. She goes from loving and idealizing her supervisor and boyfriend to hating them when they do not meet her expectations.
Suicidal ideation and self-harm: S. admitted herself to the mental health unit due to suicidal thoughts, which can be common among individuals with BPD. Self-harming behaviors are not explicitly mentioned in the case study but may be present.
Unstable employment history: S. has a history of frequently changing jobs, lasting only for short periods. This instability in employment is a common feature in individuals with BPD.
It’s important to note that a proper diagnosis can only be made by a qualified mental health professional based on a comprehensive Assessment. The case study provided offers information that suggests a potential diagnosis of BPD, but additional assessment and Assessment would be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment for BPD often involves a combination of therapy (such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT) and medication, if appropriate.
