What are the signs and symptoms? How is it managed? Here, one can find an overview of a few of the basics of BPD.
BPD is among a few personality illnesses acknowledged by the American Psychiatric Association. Personality illnesses are mental illnesses that begin in adolescence or early adulthood, keep going over many years, and bring about a good deal of distress. Personality illnesses also often intervene with an individual's ability to enjoy life or accomplish fulfillment in personal relationships, school, or work.
Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms
BPD is related to specific problems in social relationships, self-image, emotions, demeanors, and thinking.
Patients with BPD tend to have bad relationships caused by plenty of dispute, arguments, and separations. BPD is also connected with strong sensitivity to neglect (abandonment), that includes intense concern of being deserted by loved ones and efforts to avoid actual or unreal desertion.
Patients with BPD have troubles associated with the stability of their sense of self. They describe many "ups and downs" in the way they feel about themselves. One minute they could feel great about themselves, but the next minute or so they may feel they are evil or criminal when in fact they are not.
Psychological instability is a central feature of BPD. Persons with BPD may claim that they feel like they're on an emotional roller coaster, with quick shifts in mood (for instance, going from feeling fine to feeling very down or blue within several minutes). BPD is also related to feelings of extreme anger and emptiness.
BPD is linked with a tendency to engage in hazardous and impulsive conduct, such as engaging in shopping sprees, consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, abusing medications, partaking in promiscuous sexual activity, or overeating. In addition, persons with BPD are more inclined to engage in self-harming activities, like cutting themselves, or attempting to commit suicide.
Under circumstances of extreme stress, individuals with BPD can experience alterations in thinking, including paranoid ideologies (for instance, thoughts that other people may be attempting to injure them), or dissociation (feeling spaced out).
Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder
As is the case with most psychological problems, the exact etiology (cause) of BPD isn't known. Nevertheless, there are studies that show that some combination of nature (biological science or genetics) and the physical environment is responsible.
Studies have shown that many individuals diagnosed with BPD are known to have experienced childhood abuse or negligence, or were displaced from their caregivers at an early age. Yet, not all individuals with BPD had one of these childhood characteristics (and, many individuals who have had these characteristics don't have BPD).
There is furthermore evidence of genetic factors and differences in brain power and function in patients with BPD.
Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder
Though formerly experts thought that BPD was unlikely to react to drug therapy, studies have now shown that BPD is really treatable.
An assortment of treatments are available for BPD, and these types of therapy may be administered in outpatient (clinic) or inpatient (hospital) settings. BPD is generally treated with a mix of psychotherapy and drugs. Hospitalization or more intensive types of therapy might be necessary during crisis.
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References
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). "Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders." (4). Washington, DC,
Kraus, G, and Reynolds, DJ. (2001). "The A-B-C's of the Cluster B's: Identifying, Understanding, and Treating Cluster B Personality Disorders." Clinical Psychology Review. 21: 345-373.
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