Lindsay Fulham - Filling the Void on Emptiness and Identity Disturbance in BPD

Chronic feelings of emptiness and identity disturbance are diagnostic symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) that are not well understood. Emptiness is often described as a distressing and chronic emotional experience involving a sense of hopelessness, meaninglessness, and disconnection while identity disturbance is marked by a persistent and unstable self-image or sense of self. Although emptiness and identity disturbance are recognized as two separate symptoms, theory and research suggest that they are intricately linked. Additionally, both emptiness and identity disturbance are found to predict suicidal behaviours among those with BPD, over and above other symptoms of BPD.

Despite research highlighting the high prevalence, chronicity, and severity of these symptoms, important questions remain such as what causes emptiness and identity disturbance in BPD, how they are experienced in everyday life, and how they can be treated.

In this presentation, attendees are provided with an overview on current research trends on emptiness and identity disturbance in BPD with a discussion on its clinical implications and avenues for future research.
This presentation will be of interest to those with BPD or BPD traits, to clinical providers, and to family members.

Lindsay Fulham, M.A., is a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student in the Treating and Understanding Life-threatening behaviour and Posttraumatic Stress (TULiP) Lab at York University under the supervision of Dr. Skye Fitzpatrick.