PYC4802
Assignment 3
ESSAY
Due August 2025
, PYC4802
Assignment 3
ESSAY
Due 2025
Challenges in Assessing and Diagnosing Borderline Personality Disorder in the
South African Context
Introduction
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health condition
characterized by emotional instability, impulsivity, and unstable interpersonal
relationships. Diagnosing BPD poses significant challenges for clinicians due to its
overlapping symptoms with other disorders and the influence of cultural and contextual
factors. In South Africa, a nation with rich cultural diversity and unique socio-economic
challenges, these difficulties are particularly pronounced. This essay addresses the
diagnostic criteria for personality disorders and BPD, critically examines the challenges
clinicians face in diagnosis, and explores their relevance within the South African
context. By integrating cultural considerations and evidence from prescribed articles,
this discussion underscores the need for culturally sensitive diagnostic approaches.
Diagnostic Criteria and Hallmark Features of Personality Disorder and Borderline
Personality Disorder
Personality disorders, as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-5), are enduring patterns of inner experience and behavior that deviate
markedly from cultural expectations, leading to significant distress or impairment
(American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013).
Assignment 3
ESSAY
Due August 2025
, PYC4802
Assignment 3
ESSAY
Due 2025
Challenges in Assessing and Diagnosing Borderline Personality Disorder in the
South African Context
Introduction
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health condition
characterized by emotional instability, impulsivity, and unstable interpersonal
relationships. Diagnosing BPD poses significant challenges for clinicians due to its
overlapping symptoms with other disorders and the influence of cultural and contextual
factors. In South Africa, a nation with rich cultural diversity and unique socio-economic
challenges, these difficulties are particularly pronounced. This essay addresses the
diagnostic criteria for personality disorders and BPD, critically examines the challenges
clinicians face in diagnosis, and explores their relevance within the South African
context. By integrating cultural considerations and evidence from prescribed articles,
this discussion underscores the need for culturally sensitive diagnostic approaches.
Diagnostic Criteria and Hallmark Features of Personality Disorder and Borderline
Personality Disorder
Personality disorders, as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-5), are enduring patterns of inner experience and behavior that deviate
markedly from cultural expectations, leading to significant distress or impairment
(American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013).
