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DSM IV criteria

1. Shifts in mood lasting only a few hours
There is no doubt that Geraldine displays fixed patterns of behaviour alternating between obsession and dissociation. There are times when she will sit for hours on the windowsill staring in, which leaves the writer feeling uncomfortable. She attempts to get into the house, not realising that this isn't the place for her and it is inappropriate for her to be here. She will follow the writer around the property, continually at my heel, and gives no thought to danger when activities are undertaken such as mowing or strimming. The writer has no alternative but to ensure brief periods of incarceration in a secure facility to facilitate her well-being and safety during these times.

Attempts to leap in front of the car are also quite concerning. She has no road sense whatsoever. At other times she will not recognise me at all. She sits in a shallow hole in the yard giving little thought to how the mud or dust leaves her looking disheveled (a sign of depression due to a lack of concern over her appearance?). I have wondered if this alternating behaviour from frantic efforts regarding attachment / abandonment (especially when I leave the property) and occasional disdain could be sign of BPDc or possibly a Phase II disorder such as Bipolar. This is further demonstrated by her frantic running towards the writer when he exits the house, but fear of actual contact when he reaches out to pet her.

2. Anger which is intense, inappropriate or uncontrollable
Certainly, I notice a degree of bullying going on with her peers. They look positively henpecked at times. Also, in terms of her reaction to crisis, any delay of feeding due to the writer struggling to open the barn door results in overwhelming anger, evidenced by repeated foot pecking and verbal abuse (squarking).

3. Self destructive acts
She attempts to prevent me from leaving the property by placing herself bodily before the car and this is a cause for concern. Geraldine wants my acceptance but does not recognise other's boundaries. She seeks entry to the family home yet once inside, her personal behaviour is not unacceptable. She treats the kitchen as a toilet. I wonder if this is deliberate behaviour and it damages the results her intended goal of acceptance.

4. Two potentially self-damaging impulsive behaviours
While not observed, which makes me question if she does this secretively, I have seen the results that feather plucking has been occurring. Last Autumn things were particularly bad with Geraldine displaying bare patches of skin. For some weeks she looked a sorry state, until her plumage had finally recovered.

I have not witnessed drug or alcohol abuse, eating disorders, or shoplifting. Reckless driving and speeding hasn’t been witnessed, since Geraldine is unable to drive. That said, there is certainly a degree of impulsive behaviour, and with regard to sexual concerns, she does squat with alarming regularity waiting to be mounted whenever we have guests to the house. This is quite inappropriate and shows a degree of sexual wantoness.

5. Marked, persistent identity disturbance shown by uncertainty in at least two areas
Indeed. Certainly in terms of sexual orientation and from a specist perspective and also in terms of her poor peer relationships.

6. Chronic feelings of emptiness or boredom
I see her scratching about the yard quite often, avoiding contact with her peers. Again the periods of time when she simply rests in a dust hollow suggest underlying depression.

7. Unstable, chaotic intense relationships characterized by splitting
See above.

8. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
Characterised by attempting to break into the house, panic when I leave the property, running in front of the car. She is sensitive to criticism and rejection, with a heavy need for affection and reassurance which doesn't appear to impact on her behaviour afterwards.

9. Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms
I notice her brooding, almost on a daily basis.

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© This article Copyright Michael Robinson February 2008

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