Which statement best differentiates Borderline Personality Disorder from Social Anxiety Disorder?

• A. Borderline PD features unstable relationships, fear of abandonment, impulsivity, and self-harm; Social Anxiety Disorder centers on fear of negative evaluation in social situations without pervasive identity instability.
• B. Borderline PD is defined by fear of negative evaluation in social settings.
• C. Social Anxiety Disorder includes unstable self-image and self-harm.
• D. Both disorders have identical patterns of relationships.

Answer: (A)

Differentiating Borderline Personality Disorder from Social Anxiety Disorder hinges on the pattern of symptoms you see across relationships, self-view, and behavior. Borderline PD is characterized by unstable, intense relationships, a strong fear of abandonment, marked impulsivity, and often self-harm or other self-damaging behaviors, along with identity disturbance and affective volatility. Social Anxiety Disorder, on the other hand, centers on a persistent fear of negative evaluation in social or performance situations, leading to avoidance or distress, but it does not feature pervasive identity instability or the same level of impulsivity and self-harm seen in Borderline PD. The statement that links Borderline PD with unstable relationships, fear of abandonment, impulsivity, and self-harm and links Social Anxiety Disorder with fear of negative evaluation best captures the key difference. The other options misstate where the fear of negative evaluation belongs, attribute instability or self-harm to the wrong disorder, or claim the two disorders have identical relationship patterns, which is inaccurate.