4
Aug
2021
Borderline Personality Disorder
Posted On August 4, 2021
By Dr.Adel Serag
And has No Comment
‘I DESPAIRR’: A Mnemonic for Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder and Suggested Screening Questions
| Identity problem |
| “Do you have trouble knowing who ___________ is?” (say patient’s name) |
| Disordered affect |
| “Are you a moody person?” |
| Empty feeling |
| “Do you often feel empty inside?” |
| Suicidal behavior |
| “When something goes really wrong in your life, like getting rejected, do you ever do something to hurt yourself, like cutting yourself or overdosing?” |
| Paranoia or dissociative symptoms |
| “When you’re under stress, do you feel like you lose touch with your environment or with yourself? During those times, do you feel like people are ganging up against you?” |
| Abandonment terror |
| “When someone abandons you or rejects you, how do you react?” (Patients with borderline personality disorder often react with suicidal ideation or rage.) |
| Impulsivity |
| “Do you ever get really impulsive and do crazy things, like going on spending sprees, having a lot of sex, driving like a maniac and so forth?” |
| Rage |
| “What do you do when you get angry—do you hold it inside or let loose with it so everybody knows how you’re feeling?” (Patients with borderline personality disorder tend to express rage dramatically.) |
| Relationship instability |
| “Do your relationships tend to be calm and stable or stormy and with lots of ups and downs?” |
