Does Jodi Arias have BPD? (+3 Additional diagnoses)
By
OptimistMinds
As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
This detailed article will be answering if Jodi Arias has BPD by looking at the various signs and symptoms that she has depicted. Furthermore, we will also list out the various other mental health disorders and issues Jodi Arias might be suffering from.
Does Jodi Arias have BPD?
Yes, Jodi Arias has BPD. Jodi Arias was confirmed to have Borderline Personality Disorder by clinical psychologist Janeen DeMarte who testified in court about her findings. Apart from BPD, Jodi also seems to struggle with a number of mental health issues.
Jodi Arias was found guilty of first degree murder of her boyfriend, Alexander in June 2008 with a knife and a gun. While she first denied anything to do with the murder, she then claimed that she killed Alexander in self-defense.
However, in the trial which gained massive media attention, Jodi Arias was found guilty and given a life-sentence. The trial also highlighted Jodi Arias’ struggles with her mental health and her psychological issues.
The clinical psychologist who assessed Jodi Arias felt that she definitely struggled with Borderline Personality Disorder. Some signs of Jodi Arias’ Borderline Personality Disorder as learnt from her life and relationship with Alexander are discussed as follows.
She had a number of unstable relationships
Even before her relationship with Alexander, Jodi Arias went through a number of unstable relationships. It is also reported that she cooked up emotional stories to her friends as to why her ex-boyfriend’s left her.
In the relationship with Alexander, Jodi definitely depicted many signs of the BPD relationship, leading her to idealize him thoroughly and then devalue him. During the tenure of their relationship, Jodi expressed how much she adored Alexander.
After his death, Jodi changed her opinion about him and claimed that he was a pedophile and also a sexual deviant. This pattern of idealization to devaluation can be a definite sign of Borderline Personality Disorder in Jodi Arias.
She had no stable sense of self
Jodi’s sense of self also seems to fluctuate and swing between extremes often. According to sources who testified about Jodi, many felt that she was indeed a very strong and independent person.
But, when she was with Alexander, Jodi’s sense of self and her self-image completely molded to his preferences and desires. She never seemed to express what she actually wanted with Alexander and kept doing whatever he wanted as long as he was involved with her.
This type of self-image distortion is quite common in Borderline Personality Disorder. Even if the person exhibits high levels of self-confidence and assertiveness, their self-image may undergo several remodels based on whom they are with.
She definitely exhibits fear of abandonment
Jodi’s unraveled behavior mainly started showing up after Alexander expressed that he wants to end the relationship. However, even before their breakup, Jodi still largely felt that Alexander was trying to break up with her, despite no evidence or proof.
Fear of abandonment is a characteristic sign of Borderline Personality Disorder and can lead the person to act in very unlikely and unpleasant ways. In terms of Jodi, she started acting very clingy and too attached to Alexander which was noticed by those around them.
When Alexander finally dropped the bomb that he is indeed breaking up with Jodi, she started acting very violent and paranoid. She even threatened to kill herself and started interfering with Alexander’s social lives.
She has taken part in many impulsive behaviors
Jodi even depicted a number of impulsive and reckless behaviors without giving much thought to the consequences of her actions. A number of these actions were overtly shown during the tenure of Jodi’s relationship with Alexander, while the majority was seen after the breakup.
When they were indeed dating, Jodi showed impulsivity such as going over to Alexander’s place when he did not pick up the phone. She even slashed his tires when she got mad at Alexander. In one twisted instance, Jodi used Alexander’s phone to send rude texts to other women.
After Alexander broke up with Jodi, she one-upped her impulsivity even more. She stalked Alexander while he was on a date with another woman. She also went to a conference and had a verbal spat with Clancy Talbot, who was a friend of Alexander.
She has taken part in self-harming behaviors
Self-harming behaviors can definitely be seen in Borderline Personality Disorder. In the case of Jodi Arias, she has definitely threatened to kill herself a number of times even when she was in a relationship with Alexander. These threats only increase in frequency after their breakup.
She definitely cut herself, although not with the intention of suicide, while she was in custody. Jodi has also written in her journal that she wants to die. In the court, she even asked for the death penalty instead of a life sentence, claiming that death might be a solution for her.
She experienced chronic feelings of emptiness
Chronic feelings of emptiness are quite characteristic in Borderline Personality Disorder. Jodi definitely felt empty and depressed without Alexander which made her act clingy and attached to him overly.
She depicted intense emotional swings
Jodi also went through intense emotional swings when she was in a relationship with Alexander. Her behavior could never be predicted as she was quite unstable. However, many of her friends have felt that these mood swings were only caused by her tumultuous relationship.
She had many anger outbursts
Jodi’s anger outbursts and the many crazy things that she did in the relationship made the news many times and gathered more attention for the court-trial. Jodi’s anger outbursts took the form of physical violence, throwing things and even paranoid behavior.
These anger outbursts were also present during Jodi’s relationship with Alexander. When they were dating, she even shoved Alexander’s mother once and kicked their dog. These anger outbursts only increased in intensity after he broke up with her.
After the breakup, Jodi slashed his tires more than once. She even sent an email using his own email to another female whom she suspected was having an affair with Alexander. Finally, it is her anger that led her to kill Alexander so brutally in the end.
While these signs definitely do point to the possibility of Jodi’s Borderline Personality Disorder, many other mental health experts also called out the misleading information which led to even more stigma of this illness.
Other mental health disorders in Jodi Arias
Jodi Arias and her Borderline Personality Disorder have definitely grabbed a lot of attention for her trial, while also increasing both positive and negative awareness about this personality disorder. Apart from BPD, Jodi Arias has been theorized to have other issues and disorders like:
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: This was confirmed by Jodi’s group of psychologists who revealed that she was in fact a victim of domestic abuse and suffered from PTSD. This was refuted by the experts from the opposite side.
- Antisocial Personality Disorder: Another alternate diagnosis that has come through from ‘arm-chair’ experts is Antisocial Personality Disorder. This is also pretty unlikely since there is not much proof from her life outside her relationship.
- Dissociative Amnesia: The experts on Jodi’s side also claimed that she has dissociative amnesia. Jodi claims that she does not remember much after killing Alexander in self-defense, which has led to their theory.
Conclusion
This detailed article has answered if Jodi Arias has BPD by looking at the various signs and symptoms that she has depicted. Furthermore, we have also listed out the various other mental health disorders and issues Jodi Arias might be suffering from.
If you like this article, please post your comments and questions in the space below.
Citations
Was this helpful?
Transform Your Life with Personalized Therapy for Personality Disorders on BetterHelp
