Whether you came to the site looking for information on borderline personality disorder (BPD), or emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), you are in the right place – it’s the same condition, with a different name.
Mental health experts have been debating for many years about the name of the condition ‘borderline personality disorder’. When BPD was first discovered, it was thought to be a borderline condition set between neurosis and psychosis, which is where the name came from. It later became clear that the condition was more complicated than that, but the name stayed.
In recent years, experts have said that the ‘borderline’ label can be stigmatizing for patients, as people make assumptions about the term – they assume that someone’s personality is flawed, which is upsetting for some people with BPD who already suffered from an unstable sense of self.
Experts have debated a number of names over the years:
- Emotional Regulation Disorder
- Emotional Dysregulation Disorder
- Emotional Intensity Disorder
- Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder
Some people prefer to use EUPD, as it removes the borderline label, whereas others feel that the use of the word ‘unstable’ is more stigmatizing. Many people have said that they dislike the use of the word ‘personality’, as it implies there is something inherently flawed in your character or personality.
There are 256 different combinations of symptoms, and they can vary in intensity from person to person, which begs the question as to whether any name could accurately capture the nature of this condition?
Although medical professionals may use either term, it’s personal preference as to which one you prefer. At the end of the day, whichever term you use, the condition remains the same.