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ORIGINAL: OnYourFours

Borderline Personality Disorder -- which is more prevalent than bipolar disorder (and diagnosed less frequently since it's harder for the person to admit they have a problem) -- tends to draw very, very much to BDSM.  The undeveloped ability to regulate one's own emotions, such that they become so intense they're extremely emotionally painful (therefore requiring some drastic action to "shock" the brain out of that painfully intense emotion), naturally can find that a BDSM relationship replaces self-mutilation (as in Secretary).  However, the ceasing of the self-injury doesn't necessarily deal with the underlying problem.  In my own experience, watching other women I've known who identify as submissive, and have BPD, a BDSM relationship provides some more stability, but they tend to purposely stir things up a lot, to run in extremes with their desire for the relationship (intense love can get so intense they must DO something drastic against that emotion, too).  I've seen some, with dialectical behavioral therapy with a professional, find healthy D/s relationships where they can say "I'm feeling like I'm on the edge; may I have a spanking/pain/etc for a release" and are rewarded for this more appropriate interaction -- rather than purposely breaking rules and then sulking that they didn't get the punishment they wanted.