According to an article on personality disorders and gender published online by bustle.com, the most common PD diagnosed in women is Borderline Personality Disorder. And traditionally women are diagnosed with BPD at a rate three times greater than men. But the reasons for these occurrences are not well understood.
It might be the belief that women are more likely to seek out treatment for their mental health problems than men. But there may also be another gender-based issue in play when Borderline Personality Disorder is involved.
According to David Cato, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Sierra Tucson, a residential treatment center in Arizona, “Women are reported to be diagnosed with this disorder more often due to reports that they experience more abuse (emotional, verbal, physical, sexual) at young ages and learn to cope with symptoms by behaving erratically.”
Cato believes that the development of BPD may be a form of self- protection and a survival strategy for many women. “The traits of this disorder are generally maladaptive traits that one has evolved in order to protect themselves from experiencing further trauma.”
If you are interested in learning more about differences between women and men diagnosed with BPD you might take a look at this research paper on the topic.
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