What is borderline personality disorder? It is a personality disorder in which a person has varying moods and behaviors that last for a long periods of time. It usually happens to adults and is occasionally found in adolescents too.
People suffering from this disorder continually switch between imagining the best and the worst about people. This trait means they can at one moment believe something good is being said about them and in the next moment, believe that everyone is out to get them.
Such extreme behavior often affects their social relationships, including interaction with family and friends.
For instance getting very angry if a plan gets inadvertently canceled or being unrealistic about the self image if they feel like their goals or aspirations or even opportunities have changed. People suffering have also been known to cause harm to themselves when they are on a downward spiral. The patients have four distinct stages or emotional quarters that they back into: self destructive feelings, extreme feelings, feeling an acute lack of identity and feeling victimized. These people often feel like that there are being persecuted and react strongly even to perceived criticism. They even experience chronic pangs of being alone and boredom that can drive their destructive behavior. Their capacity for self harm is quite high and they often indulge in all manner of destructive behavior like substance abuse of drugs, alcohol and even unsafe sex, eating disorders and gambling. In psychiatry parlance, these patients are often termed deliberately manipulative or difficult. The root of this is usually in their inner pain and inability to communicate along with limited coping skills.
Causes of borderline personality disorder are generally set in childhood. Child abuse is also a cause for borderline personality disorder. While the exact causes of borderline personality disorder are not known, there have been links to post traumatic stress disorder. Borderline personality disorder was earlier a part of schizophrenia and was called borderline schizophrenic tendencies. Today borderline personality disorder is a separate disorder altogether with schizophrenic tendencies being one of the
borderline personality disorder traits that is displayed.
The primary
signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder are strong and long mood swings usually triggered by apparent failure or rejection, rapid mood swings between anger and anxiety and depression and elation. The self destructive behavior or suicidal tendencies are also very strong. Suicide attempts and self harming behavior like cutting oneself is usually a good indicator to diagnose borderline personality disorder. Stressful life and events after a history of sexual abuse is often noticed in patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. The diagnosis is done by a certified mental health care professional only after a detailed discussion with the family, friends and co-workers. Parents of people with borderline personality disorder also exhibit dysfunctional and co-dependent or under-dependent relationships. Sometimes, according to new research findings, alteration in the brain due to some illnesses can also cause a change which could lead to some of the major symptoms.
The symptoms usually start as a young adult or as an adolescent. While the symptoms persist for many years, the severity could decrease in the advancing years. While the borderline personality disorder can manifest itself in children too and you will be able to spot some of the symptoms, a diagnosis is discouraged as till the children turn 18, their personalities are still considered to be developing and only after 18 is this condition diagnosed. Newer research indicates children can be diagnosed but only if all the conditions for diagnose take place in one year. Therefore
treating borderline personality disorder in children is rather very rare. People who are diagnosed with this personality disorder are quite likely to even get psychiatric disorders like dissociation, depression and anxiety.
As this
personality disorder is linked to child abuse, many scientists and doctors even feel that this disorder is more on the lines of a version of post traumatic stress disorder and not a separate disorder. This disorder is still continually being studied with respect to all its symptoms and causes and links to other psychiatric disorders. An abusive family environment, especially one which had child sexual abuse has strong links to the borderline personality disorder. But the effect and reach of the disorder would vary on the strength of the familial bonds.
Some of the traits of people suffering from borderline personality disorder are inappropriately strong and uncontrolled anger, mood swings that last for hours, self destructive acts like suicide attempts and substance abuse. People who suffer from this personality disorder also suffer from mood disorders and the symptoms can seem very similar. Diagnosis so far has shown that more women suffer from it than men. There is also a strong indication that this disease could be passed down through genes as the reasons that cause it are all inextricably linked and most have a basis in the childhood.
Borderline personality disorder is treated with a form of group therapy that is called dialectical behavioral therapy. In this therapy, patients are taught to deal with negative emotions and experiences. Some of the symptoms of borderline personality disorder like acute mood swings and suicidal tendencies can also be managed with medication. The treatment is usually a long drawn process where the patients are gradually taught to deal with each of their symptoms. Community care and support from friends and family has shown a better result for patients of the borderline personality disorder rather than hospitalization.
Treatment for people with borderline personality is an immediate requirement as often due to their childhood trauma and the resultant disorder, these people as adults often make risky choices and are victims of rape and other violent crimes. This is largely because of a propensity to choose riskier environments, due to the disorder. Borderline personality disorder patients can be helped with psychotherapy. Diagnosis of this disorder has always had some critics and it is often relegated to the fringes of psychiatric disorders as the critics claim there is not enough data that it is definite separate disorder and not a part of schizophrenia. Due to disagreement of many, the disorder still faces bias when it comes to treatment.
