Differences between depression and borderline personality disorder

Each of us is unique and unrepeatable. Each of us has our own way of seeing the world, of thinking, of relating to others, of living, of acting. Each of us has our own personality, acquired throughout life through accumulated learning from our experiences (although there is a certain genetic component that predisposes us to be in a certain way). None of them are better or worse than the others.

However, sometimes the personality develops in such a way that it generates characteristics that make our relationship with ourselves or with the world experiences deep suffering or we cause it to others, or we cannot adapt to the environment and relate efficiently.

We are talking about personality disorders, of which one of the most severe and painful is borderline personality disorder or BPD. Although it generally tends to be more confused with bipolar disorder, the truth is that often some aspects of its symptoms resembles that of major depression and it is not uncommon for them to appear in a comorbid.

This sometimes causes depression and BPD to be confused or not separated correctly, despite the fact that they are different problems. In order to help distinguish them, throughout this article we are going to highlight some of the the main differences between major depression and borderline personality disorder, explained in a way that is easy to understand.

• Related article: "The 6 types of mood disorders"

Borderline Personality Disorder: Basic Definition

By borderline or borderline personality disorder (BPD) we understand that type of personality which is characterized by the existence of a very high level of emotional instability, with an extreme experience and great difficulty in the recognition and management of emotions, and that usually occurs with the existence of deep feelings of emptiness and high impulsiveness.

There is usually a very low level of self-esteem, with a marked perception of worthlessness and worthlessness as well as a perception of the other that can oscillate between veneration and contempt. It is common for there to be a great fear of abandonment and desperate behaviors to not be, as well as frequent conflicts and fights in their social relationships. There are difficulties especially in anger management, and it is not uncommon for there to be dissociative symptoms and identity integration.

Self-injurious behaviors are also frequent, as well as recurrent thoughts of death and even suicide attempts. We are talking about a personality disorder, given that despite the fact that this pattern of behavior, perception and thought has been established throughout life, it is profoundly maladaptive for those who suffer from it by limiting the subject's functioning, or it generates a high level of discomfort and suffering psychological.

• You may be interested: "Borderline Personality Disorder: causes, symptoms and treatment"

Major depression

When it comes to major depression, it is one of the most frequent psychological disorders or alterations in the world. The presence of a depression implies the appearance, during most of the day almost every day for at least two weeks, of a state of sad mood and severe difficulties in perceiving pleasure or satisfaction in carrying out activities that are generally appetitive for the person.

It is also common for there to be great passivity, clinophilia or a tendency to remain lying on the bed, severe guilt, sleep and appetite problems, and even thoughts of death and suicide.

Usually those who suffer from depression come to have a perception of learned helplessness, in which there is hopelessness as to whether the situation they live can improve. Cognitive biases appear in the relationship with oneself, with the environment and with the future. They also tend to manifest attention problems, tendency to self-absorption and rumination, and progressive isolation and reclusion. Depression is a deep suffering for those who suffer from it, in addition to involving a great alteration and limitation of functionality on a day-to-day basis.

• You may be interested: "Major depression: symptoms, causes and treatment"

Main differences between major depression and borderline disorder

Major depression and borderline or borderline personality have much in common: in both cases there are feelings of sadness and hopelessness, emotional instability, a tendency to cry, and a tendency to exhibit cognitive biases aversives.

Also These are disorders in which self-destructive thoughts and behaviors may appear, and in which there is usually a certain feeling of emptiness to a greater or lesser extent. In fact, it is very common for people with borderline personality disorder to develop depressions, one of the disorders with which it has the greatest comorbidity.

However, they are different constructs, which have distinctive characteristics that allow us to separate both concepts. Some of the most marked differences are as follows.

1. Relationship with the psychic structure of the subject

One of the main differences between depression and borderline personality disorder has to to do with the level of connection that the alteration has with the usual way of functioning of the subject. A depression can be more or less long and affect more or less the way of being of those who suffer from it while it lasts, but for general rule implies the existence of a difference with respect to the habitual way of functioning, thinking or feeling of the subject.

In the case of borderline personality disorder we are facing a personality alteration, that is, the pattern of thought, perception and action of the person that has been acquired throughout the lifetime. A) Yes, the characteristics of a person with this disorder are much more integrated into their usual way of doing, being in fact part of his personality.

This does not mean that it cannot be changed (after all, the personality can change), but it implies a therapeutic process so more complex general and that requires an effort for change on the part of the subject, little by little restructuring the way of being of him and seeing the world.

2. Focus of discomfort

In both depression and borderline personality disorder, there is a common feeling of sadness, anguish and suffering. However, while as a general rule in depression, suffering and sadness are derived from thoughts related to loss and feelings of guilt, in the case of borderline personality, it tends to be related rather to conflicts with respect to one's own identity or the presence of dependency / independence relationships with others people.

3. Perception of one's own identity

Linked to the above, another difference between the two alterations is related to the existence of alterations in the perception and assumption of one's own identity. Although in a depression the person may doubt or criticize his vital position and who he is, in general he maintains an undervalued idea of ​​himself but consistent with her identity.

In the case of borderline disorder, it is more common for the person himself to have severe difficulties accepting himself and much of their discomfort stems from identity problems, in which great inconsistencies are observed and which usually includes the feeling of being empty and / or being nobody.

4. Dependence-independence

Interpersonal relationships are also a differential aspect between both entities. It is possible that in a depression a certain dependence on another person appears or that the cessation of a relationship in a dependent person can cause depression, but nevertheless the type of social relationships that are established are not a fundamental element of the disorder.

However, in the case of borderline disorder, the search and maintenance of relationships and the fear or panic of being abandoned prevail to a great extent, with which the general tendency is to maintain dependency relationships towards loved ones.

5. Interpretation of neutral stimuli

It is common for both in the case of depression and in borderline personality there are negative cognitive biases, putting a greater focus on aversive information and generally existing negative beliefs about oneself, the world around them and the future.

However, it has been observed that in the case of people with borderline personality there is not only a prioritization of negative information but also the aversive interpretation of most ambiguous or neutral information.

6. Difficulties in managing anger

Another of the perceptible differences between borderline disorder and major depression is that, as a general rule, people with personality borderline tend to have great difficulty managing anger, with strong and even explosive reactions to frustration and anger. Although in some cases in depression there are also reactions of hostility and anger, it is usually more of a one-off discharge than a general difficulty when it comes to managing it.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth edition. DSM-V. Masson, Barcelona.
• Horse, V.E. and Camacho, S. (2000). Borderline personality disorder: current controversies. Psychology from the Caribbean, 5: 31-55. Universidad del Norte Barranquilla, Colombia.
• Kurtz, J. AND. and Morey, L. M. (1998). Negativism in evaluative judgments of words among depressed outpatients with borderline personality disorder. Journal of Personality Disorders, 12, 351-361.
• Turner, R. M. (1996). The dramatic / impulsive group of DSM-IV: borderline, narcissistic and histrionic personality disorders. In: V. AND. Caballo, G. Buela and J. TO. Carrobles (dirs.), Manual of psychopathology and psychiatric disorders (p. 63-84). Madrid: XXI century.