Borderline Personality Disorder Case Studies

The case study of Tony Taylor is described as a 39 year old African American male who is showing symptomology of a personality disorder from the Cluster B group which is described as the “dramatic, erratic and emotional group” (Biedel 2014). Tony describes that much of his life has been chaotic which has led to him experience emotional dysregulation and behavior impulsivity (Biedel 2014). For Tony to be able to have the Antisocial Personality Disorder he would have needed to have a conduct disorder diagnosis during his childhood and additional symptomology (Biedel 2014). From the case study provided this does not appear to have enough information about Tony’s childhood to warrant this diagnosis. Biedel (2014), describes Borderline Personality Disorder has stable instability in emotions, and interpersonal behavior and identify. Tony describes experiencing symptomology of feeling emptiness and anger and for clients with Borderline Personality Disorder are thought to be triggered by a concern for abandonment (Biedel 2014). There are maladaptive coping skills that Tony had begun to use to cope with this concern by attempting suicide and impulsivity which has led to drug and alcohol abuse along with criminal charges such as armed robbery, neglect of a minor, and kidnapping. One of the times, Tony had attempted suicide by cutting his own wrists was
With the borderline personality disorder diagnosis there is some evidence that dialectical behavior therapy, transference-focused therapy, metallization-based therapy may be more effective (Biedel 2014). Even though each therapy is from a different school of thought it is important to note that there is focus on “the relationship between client and therapist, highly structured therapeutic frame work, and focusing on managing the self-damaging behavior through crisis planning” (Biedel