Ep 29: Paranoid Personality or BPD? | The Unstable Duo

In this episode of The Personality Couch Podcast, we (licensed clinical psychologists Doc Bok and Doc Fish) help differentiate between paranoid and borderline personality disorders. We explore the similarities and differences between these two disorders, discussing their core characteristics, emotional responses, symptoms, and how our own intuition helps us more than we realize. We specifically look at the instability unique to these two personality disorders and how both express anger, shame, and fear. As both disorders can have fleeting episodes of psychosis, we also discuss how delusions can show up in each, but how their triggers are vastly different. We further discuss our own personal experiences treating both disorders and ways we use our intuition to guide diagnosis. We end by highlighting the need for empathy in treatment and welcome other providers to reference this information or to contact us directly if in need of a consultation.

To schedule a consultation, please visit the practice website for more information!
https://www.questpsych.org

Chapters

• 00:00 Intro to Paranoid vs Borderline Personality Disorders
• 01:59 What is an Unstable Personality Structure?
• 03:34 Borderline Personality Symptoms Explained
• 06:50 Paranoid Personality Symptoms Explained
• 08:30 Comparing and Contrasting BPD and Paranoid PD
  • 08:32 Anger
  • 11:40 Shame
  • 13:03 Fear
  • 14:15 Paranoia & Psychotic Episodes
  • 15:54 Fluidity vs. Rigidity
• 17:21 Using Intuition with Paranoid and Borderline Personalities
  • 17:35 Dramatic Narratives
  • 19:44 Dependent and Avoidant Attachment Dynamics
  • 23:35 Countertransference
  • 25:20 How they Present to Treatment
  • 26:31 Suicidality & Trauma
• 28:47 Summary, Learning, and Conclusion