Ntshingila, N., Poggenpoel, M., Myburgh, C. P. H., & Temane, A. (2016). Experiences of women living with borderline personality disorder. Health SA = SA Gesondheid, 21(1), 110–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hsag.2016.01.001

Saint Olaf College

Why do BPD patients use eating pathologies? Ntshingila et al. (2016) brought eight individuals with BPD and attempted to illustrate their experiences more clearly through qualitative data. They address several aspects of BPD, one of them being “emotional upheaval.” The participants were even surprised by their reactions to specific events, as they might be utterly content one moment but rageful and irritable the next. This dissonance in motions left the participants feeling out of control or confused about their emotions. In an attempt to escape these emotions, they engage in self-harming behaviors like cutting or purging. One participant said: “ Then I started cutting. I was so confused, ‘cause I was so angry. I was so emotional. I wanted to die, but I couldn't. It was the only thing at that point that could calm me down” (Ntshingila et al. 2016). And another stated, “I was hopeless; I ended up purging” (Ntshingila et al. 2016). Just like individuals with EDs look to eating disorder behaviors to prevent the dissonance between their emotions, so do individuals with BPD. 

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