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Old Feb 15, 2019, 12:52 PM
Unforgiven1 Unforgiven1 is offline
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Member Since: Sep 2018
Location: Kansas
Posts: 96
Quote:
Originally Posted by rwither1 View Post
Hi there. So, my name is Randy and I'm an LPC. I've noticed with questions like these that there is sort of the Wikipedia understanding of BPD and then there is what is actually understood to be true by trained and licensed clinicians. Personal experience with these disorders will only take you so far, in the same way that suffering a heart attack doesn't qualify someone to be a cardiologist. So let's get to it.

Firstly, the terms sociopathic and psychopathic might as well be synonyms. I've never actually met a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or therapist who could actually articulate the difference. Sure, Tumblr and Pinterest are full of infographics claiming to show otherwise, but I'm talking about the real world. I have a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling and the best I can tell you is what I just wrote.

Secondly, neither is an actual diagnosis. Sociopath is a term that fell out of favor 50 years ago, and psychopath is generally used to describe the more extreme personality disordered individuals who populate prisons and psychiatric hospitals. Some - not all, but some - borderline personalities are straight up psychopaths. This is actually why borderline is called borderline - it can push up right against the psychopathy spectrum, and the neurotic spectrum. It presents in myriad ways. This is another reason why personal experience only takes you so far.

The neurotic type, btw, is more likely to be inwardly destructive. They self-harm, struggle with depression, etc. The psychopathic type can be more dangerous. This does not describe what you might consider a "normal" borderline. The psychopathic can be quite dangerous.

At any rate, this is likely why you are having a hard time with Google, that and your question is fundamentally flawed. We don't think about those two things being co-morbid with borderline personality disorder. Rather, it's more accurate to say they are features of it.

Hope that helps. Have a nice day.
This is very helpful to me thank you. The reason I was asking about comorbidity of these 2 traits is I believe I have both. I get very angry after going through deep depression and then I get depressed because of what I experience in thought when I am angry and I realize that when I am angry I feel completely evil with the thoughts I have. I feel like a volcano erupting with nothing but the most sinister and evil thoughts of hurting people. When I feel like this, it feels like 99% of me doesn't feel anything at all,much like a psychopath, then there is that tiny little bit of my mind saying no, please stop thinking this way. Then depression sets in because I have these thoughts then the anger again. Its just a constant ,vicious circle of self hatred over and over again
Thanks for this!
rwither1