Tag: Borderline Personality Disorder

CPTSD and BPD: Similarities, Differences and Diagnostic Complexity Understanding the overlap between Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) One of the most interesting themes to emerge from my postgraduate Traumatology dissertation was the complex relationship between Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Both diagnoses can involve significant emotional distress, difficulties with relationships and challenges in regulating emotions. Both have also been associated in research with experiences of childhood adversity and interpersonal trauma. Yet, although there are areas of overlap, the literature I reviewed suggested that CPTSD and BPD should not simply be understood as the same condition. In this third article in my research series, I explore what the literature suggested about their similarities, differences and the importance of careful, individualised assessment. Why is the distinction important? CPTSD was recognised as a distinct diagnosis in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11 classification. Alongside the core features of PTSD, CPTSD includes difficulties known as disturbances in self-organisation (DSO). These involve difficulties...