Understanding the Borderline in Borderline Personality Disorder

The term 'borderline' in Borderline Personality Disorder originally referred to the border between psychosis and neurosis. Unlike neurotic disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety) with no break with reality, and psychotic disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) with a break from reality, personality pathology falls in between. Individuals with BPD do not have a true break from reality but may seem rigid in their perceptions.