Signs and Symptoms
Jenna reportedly inflicts pain upon herself by cutting her body. She is upset and angry about her breakup with her boyfriend, Jim. She is extravagant with her expenditures, promiscuous, drinks heavily, and engages in binge eating and drink driving when upset. She is neither upbeat nor happy about herself and vents her anger towards her body.
DSM-IV-TR Diagnosis
Jenna’s case is an example of a mood disorder. Jenna shows signs of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria, people with this condition often have “unstable interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts” (APA, 2000, p. 710). Jena’s case has the following characteristics that meet the DSM criteria: anger due to the abandonment and unstable relationships with others, which manifests through self-harm acts such as cutting her body, immorality, binge eating, wasteful spending, drink-driving and alcoholism (APA, 2000). Her “recurrent irritability, dysphoria, chronic feelings of emptiness, intense anger and difficulty in controlling her anger” (APA, 2000, p. 710) are symptoms of BPD.
Explanation
The patterns in Jenna’s behavior led to “clinically significant impairments”, which affected his social life, resulting in self-damaging actions (APA, 2000, p. 99). Jena’s social and psychological health on the “Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale” is about 19 (p. 34) based on her self-harm behaviors, promiscuity, drink-driving, alcoholism and irritability. These symptoms are common among people with BPD.
Conclusion
Jenna’s symptoms are characteristic of people with BPD as she exhibits dysfunctional behaviors that are characteristic of BPD. She displays “uncontrolled anger, self-mutilation behavior and emotional instability” (APA, 2000, p. 78), which manifest as promiscuity, unhealthy eating habits and drink driving.
Reference
American Psychiatric Association [APA]. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: APA.