[unlockingsanity]

Does having "affective instability" mean I have borderline personality disorder or can I have "affective instability" outside of having BPD?

I found "affective instability" listed on my chart today and everything I Google comes up with BPD.



Edit: I should add, that Bipolar 2 and GAD were also listed.

[HazelGirl]

It's a major symptom of BPD. But by itself, it does not mean you have BPD.

[melania]

BPD has another name too. In my country it doesn't even has a name borderline personality disorder but emotionally unstable personality disorder

[grimtopaz]

Affective/emotional instability is at the core of BPD. I would say it is "necessary but not sufficient" aspect for a BPD diagnosis. However, you can have affective instability and NOT have BPD. It all depends on how the affective instability manifests itself (aka what symptoms result from that affective instability).

[The_little_didgee]

I agree with the other posts. Affective instability has different causes. Your diagnoses can definitely influence the regulation of emotions. More information can be found here: Emotional Dysregulation - Psychological Treatment

I have ASD and struggle with this, but it is different from the BPD variety. Sensory overload makes me moody, rather than fears of abandonment and interpersonal sensitivity. In BPD, affect instability is intense and frequent and consistent over time, which is not the case for me.

The coping strategies seen in BPD such as self-harm, substance abuse, anger outbursts and eating disorders are related to affective instability.

[Lauliza]

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee

I agree with the other posts. Affective instability has different causes. Your diagnoses can definitely influence the regulation of emotions. More information can be found here: Emotional Dysregulation - Psychological Treatment

I have ASD and struggle with this, but it is different from the BPD variety. Sensory overload makes me moody, rather than fears of abandonment and interpersonal sensitivity. In BPD, affect instability is intense and frequent and consistent over time, which is not the case for me.

The coping strategies seen in BPD such as self-harm, substance abuse, anger outbursts and eating disorders are related to affective instability.

This is a very good point. Like Aspergers, Emotional instability is seen in Bipolar II as well, but it's not the same as in BPD. It describes mood swings in general like you'd see in Bipolar Ii. But in BPD the frequency, extreme intensity and dysfunctional coping mechanisms - like self harm - are part of the overall picture, among many other things, when considering a BPD diagnosis. This sn't the case for many other disorders.