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Borderline Personality Disorder – Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Borderline Personality Disorder is often a devastating mental illness, both for the person who has it and for those around him/her, because it is most characterized by a dysfunction in interpersonal relationships. People who have this disorder have difficulty regulating their emotions. They have distorted self images, feeling worthless and fundamentally damaged or bad. While they yearn for a loving relationship, they may at the same time push others away with their anger and rage.

It is estimated that one to two percent of the American population has Borderline Personality Disorder. It occurs in approximately one in every 33 women, compared to one in every 100 men, and is usually diagnosed in early adulthood.

Borderline Personality Disorder affects how a person feels about him/herself, how he/she relates to others, and how that affects his/her behavior. People with the disorder often have an unstable sense of self, of who they are. Their self-image often changes rapidly, and they may view themselves as fundamentally evil or bad.

Relationships for people with Borderline Personality Disorder are usually in turmoil. People with this disorder often experience a love-hate relationship with other people. They may idealize somebody one moment and then in the next moment, dramatically and abruptly shift to hatred and fury over a perceived slight or misunderstanding. This is because someone with Borderline Personality Disorder has difficulty accepting gray areas — everything is either black or white.

People who have Borderline Personality Disorder often engage in risky and impulsive behaviors. These behaviors often end up hurting them emotionally, physically, and/or financially. For example, they may drive recklessly, engage in unsafe sexual practices, use illegal drugs or alcohol, or go on spending or gambling sprees.

People with Borderline Personality Disorder may also often exhibit suicidal behavior or may deliberately injure themselves. Other symptoms of the disorder are: binge eating, rages and other very strong emotions that come and go, intense but short episodes of depression or anxiety, aggression, and/or fear of being alone.

As with other mental illnesses, the causes of Borderline Personality Disorder are complex. The name itself arose because of theories proposed in the 1940-50’s that the disorder was on the border between psychosis and neurosis.

Although there is no known cause for the disorder, possible causes include: genetics (heredity), environmental factors (such as child abuse), and brain abnormalities. Most likely, the cause is a combination of these factors.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria note that people with Borderline Personality Disorder have a pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships, self-image and mood as well as impulsive behavior, which typically begin in early adulthood.

For Borderline Personality Disorder to be diagnosed, at least five of the following signs and symptoms must be present:

• Intense fears of abandonment
• A pattern of unstable relationships
• Unstable self-image
• Impulsive and self-destructive behaviors
• Suicidal behavior or self-injury
• Wide mood swings
• Chronic feelings of emptiness
• Inappropriate anger
• Periods of paranoia and loss of contact with reality

Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder has improved in recent years with the adoption of techniques such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), specifically aimed at people with this disorder. Other forms of treatment include medications and hospitalization, which keep patients safe from self-injury and/or injury to others. Emerging evidence indicates that people with Borderline Personality Disorder can get better over time and can eventually live happy, peaceful lives.

About the Author

David Oliver is the founder of BorderlineCentral.com a one stop source of information on how to cope and deal with borderline personality disorder.

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