I'd like to respond to a post you made earlier, Wolfsong: "I still...never heard of psychosis involved in borderline...nor hallucinations....specifically related to BPD...is there an informative link for this?

If you read anything of the research by Kernberg, Clarkin, Yoeman or Linehan (clincial research writings), you'll find them discuss periods of psychoic thinking by individuals with BPD. This is not to say that ALL people diagnosed with BPD experience psychotic thinking, delusions and/or hallucinations. It is usually observed in individuals who are highly stressed. For example, Clarkin talks about individuals with BPD having delusional/psychotic reactions in therapy (evident only in therapy and not outside the therapeutic setting). I think he talks about a client believing that the therapist "spit on the sidewalk" everytime he saw her out in the community. Didn't happen, or at least, CLarkin said it didn't happen LOL, but the client truly believed that her therapist was performing this act whenever he observed her in the community.

From a personal aside, I can say that about eight years ago when I had a major breakdown, I was walking along the sidewalk near a major intersection. I suddenly saw a small dog dart out into the middle of the road and then crushed beneath the tires of a car. I reacted with horror. I remember the incident distinctly--every physical and emotional reaction on my part. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see the cars passing normally, no poor dog dead in the roadway, not even a screech of tires indicating that cars tried to dodge a dog. I was under terrible emotional stress at the time. Have I hallucinated since. Absolutely not. In fact, I'm a person with BPD who does not act out in rage (my rage is directed inward) and I have been successfully employed in a high level job for over twenty-seven years. My BPD traits are more about the Quiet Borderline (interesting book on that subject by Yance Sherwood and Charles Cohen). The important thing to remember about BPD is that it doesn't present cleanly and perfectly as described by the DSM. As people tell us who treat BPD, we have to stop thinking in Black and White, treaters need to remember that BPD isn't Black and White--there are shades of gray in there too!