As someone correctly mentionned, she has Borderline PErsonality Disorder
I should know because my girlfriend (5 years and counting) has it. I love this movie though find it a little fatalistic and don't really like the ending as much as the rest, i just don't think it's right that he killed her even if i get why he did it. My gf, of course, hates the film. Being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder is actually terrible because in general people suffering from it are portrayed as downright "evil", manipulative, psychotic and sometimes dangerous and this EVEN by psychiatrists or psychologists. There is in the field almost a certain despise for people suffering with BPD. When really i can tell you by experience that all it takes is a lot of understanding, compassion and care.
The movie portrays a rather extreme case but i certainly know what its like to have the person you love fly off the handle at some strangers (though it never came to physical assault in her case, actually yeah, once but that guy fully deserved the punch) or do rather irrational things like trying to set our bed on fire (though i'm not sure she actually wanted it to work). People with BPD have an intense fear of being abandoned (and it should come as no surprise that my gf WAS in fact basically abandoned by first her mom and then later on, the rest of her family) and of being disliked. It makes social relationships very difficult because not only do they risk getting shunned if they have a "psychotic" episode publicly but also because they tend to be very paranoid about their friends. They will, however, be loyal to a fault if you earn their trust.
It can be very hard to see someone you love and who, on a good day (and there are a lot of those still, this movie distills a relationship to two hours and mainly focuses on the bad days) is a fun and extremely intelligent person (the most intelligent person i've ever met in fact) occasionally become...well, so irrational and destructive.
An almost endless reserve of patience, selflessness, love and understanding can however do wonders (i'm not patting myself on the back here but..well i kinda am a little because it's been a tough road and i know no one else but me has ever been willing to take it that far) and i have to say the last two years have been a lot easier than the first three. Medication, of course, helps too.
She has taught me a lot about selfishness and pride. I used to have too much of the former and too little of the latter (much like Betty, she will NOT take crap or rudeness from anyone. Personally, i cheer when Betty stabs the woman in the arm with the fork or slashes the face of the editor with the comb. A-holes need to suffer more from their actions, that's something she's taught me) She has also made me believe in myself and in my capabilities. She even does believe i am capable of greatness, much like Betty thinks of Zorg (and like Zorg i tend to want to dismiss this). All i know is she's the love of my life and nothing she can do will ever change this. This book/movie in a lot of ways is us except, i'm not gonna stand for the bad ending.
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