BPD and C-PTSD are often mixed up. BPD is often the first diagnosis a professional considers if there is self-injury, and if attachment problems also exist, it reinforces their view that the person has BPD. However, BPD is not always the right diagnosis.

In my own case, the first and only time I was hospitalized for a 72-hour hold, the psychiatrist at the hospital informed my therapist (who I had been seeing for 3+ years) that I had BPD. Now this psychiatrist never once even talked to me while I was in the hospital. I was only there for 3 days, and any information he received during that time had to come from therapists who led the therapy group sessions. In fact, none of those therapists talked to me individually either during my 3-day stay.

So. . .Why did the psychiatrist diagnose me with BPD? My guess is because i self-injured. However, I did not have a history of self-injury. I had only done it once -- during the clinical depression that caused me to feel suicidal and led to my 72-hour hold.

Well, my t said she believed I had C-PTSD and not BPD. She told me that some of the symptoms are similar, but the causes are different. She also said that if/when the PSTD gets resolved, the BPD-like symptoms also tend to disappear.

So assuming that my t is right that I have C-PTSD (and I think she is, because I've been in t with her for several years), here is a sampling of things in my past that have contributed to my diagnosis:

PAST: Born prematurely to very young parents who did not want to get married or have kids, hospitalized at 6 weeks for pneumonia, major separation problems with my mom from ages 2-8, bullied by my older sister, SA by a neighbor, multiple moves and schools (10 moves and 8 schools from ages 5-18), verbal/psychological abuse from my dad, and emotional neglect by both parents.

One additional contributing factor could also be that I am a HSP (highly sensitive person). This means that I was genetically born with a more reactive nervous system and the tendency to become overstimulated by external events and my own internal reactions. However, I was never physically abused or subject to anything that endangered my life.

As an adult, I have problems with depression, anxiety, nightmares, dissociation, poor self-esteem, and parental-type attachments to people who victimize me. I also have a very hard time forming attachments in general. However, I do not exhibit BPD behaviors like bursts of anger, cutting, impulsivity, sui attempts.

I don't know if that helps to clarify the difference between C-PTSD and BPD, or if it just muddies the waters more. . .