About this course
The average time to diagnosis for a dissociative disorder is almost seven years, and many clients are given a borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnosis somewhere along the way. Hallmark symptoms of BPD can also be present in dissociative disorders, including a history of trauma, a shifting or absent sense of self, impulsive and/or self-destructive behaviors, self-harm, mood swings, chronic emptiness…the overlap is extensive. This presentation will start by examining current definitions and diagnostic criteria for BPD and dissociative disorders. We will look at where they overlap, and then we will move into understanding how the differences between the two are the key to accurate diagnosis and treatment. We will discuss how the idea of complex post-traumatic stress disorder may be useful in case conceptualization for some of the “middle ground” cases, even if it is not currently a DSM-V recognized diagnosis. We will work through two client scenarios for real-world practice on this challenging diagnostic issue.
