Borderline Personality Disorder
Overview
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a “Cluster-B” personality disorder that is characterizes by changing thinking pattern, distorted self-image, difficulty to control and manage emotions, unstable relationships, have intense fear of abandonment and difficulty tolerating being alone. Person affected with this disorder want to have loving and lasting relationships but his impulsiveness and frequent mood swings may push others away.
BPD usually begins by early adulthood. The condition appears to be worse in young adulthood and steadily get better with age.
Sign and Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder
BPD can effect and bring changes in behavior, emotions, relationships, self-image and thinking pattern. It affects the person ability to enjoy life and to achieve fulfillment in relationships and work. Important signs associated with Borderline Personality disorder are:
Emotional instability:
key feature of BPD. Individual feels quick mood shifts like going from feeling excited to feeling extremely down or blue within a few minutes. Such mood changes intense can last from minutes to days.
Behaviors:
Persons with BPD have tendency
to engage in risky and impulsive
behaviors like gambling, reckless driving, unsafe sex, spending
sprees, binge eating or drug abuse, or sabotaging success by suddenly quitting
a good job or ending a positive relationship, drinking excessive amounts of
alcohol and going on shopping sprees. Such people more prone to engage in
self-harming behaviors, such as cutting or burning and attempting suicide.
They also have Inappropriate, intense anger, such as frequently losing temper,
being sarcastic or bitter, or having physical fights
Relationships:
People with BPD experience intense
relationships with loved ones. Such relationships are characterized
by frequent conflicts, arguments, and break-ups. Affected person also have intense
fear of being abandoned by loved ones and attempts to avoid real or imagined
abandonment. Because of this they have difficulty trusting others, putting a
strain on relationships.
Self-image:
Individuals affected with BPD have issue with their self-image. They experience rapid changes in self-identity and self-image that include shifting goals and values, and seeing yourself as bad or as if you don't exist at all.
Stress-related changes in thinking:
Under stress condition people with BPD develop paranoid thoughts (for example, thoughts that others may be trying to cause them harm), or dissociation feelings (feeling spaced out, numb, or like they're not really in their body).
How to diagnose Borderline Personality Disorder
Diagnosis of BPD is depends upon behavior symptoms and medical
history. A physical exam and lab tests may also be performed to rule out
medical illnesses that might be contributing to the symptoms.
In order to be diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder,
the individual must have five or more of the following symptoms in a variety of
contexts:
- Unstable interpersonal relationships
- Emotional instability
- Efforts to avoid abandonment
- Feelings of emptiness
- Identity disturbances
- Impulsive behaviors
- Inappropriate, intense anger
- Suicidal or self-harming behaviors
- Transient paranoid or dissociative symptoms
Psychiatrist or Psychologist will also differentiate similar
symptoms of others disorders that includes dissociative disorders, bipolar disorder, histrionicpersonality disorder, Paranoid Personality Disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder.
Causes of developing Borderline Personality Disorder
Exact cause of BPD is
not known. However, there is research that suggest that genetics and environment
can play rule in developing this disorder.
Contributing factors that may increase your risk include:
Family history: Having a parent or sibling with BPD
Brain structure: There is evidence of differences in brain structure and function in individuals with BPD, especially in the parts of the brain that control impulse and emotional regulation.
Negative experiences: Many people diagnosed with BPD have experienced childhood abuse, trauma, or neglect or were separated from their caregivers at an early age.
Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder
Unlike past new research has shown that BPD is very treatable. Getting
help from a mental health professional is critical in treatment regime because,
with consistent treatment affected person can live a better quality of life
with fewer symptoms.
Treatment can also help to curb the risky behavior associated
with BPD like self-harm and suicidal.
The usual and effective order of treatment options includes:
Psychotherapy: This is the standard treatment for BPD. Examples
of psychotherapy that are targeted to BPD include dialectical
behavior therapy (DBT) and mentalization-based
treatment (MBT). This may include your family, friends, or
caregivers.
Medication: Your mental health professional can also
recommend medication to
help treat certain symptoms such as depression or mood swings.
Other treatments: Hospitalization or more intensive treatments may be necessary in times of crisis.
Despite the complications that BPD can cause, many people with BPD lead normal, fulfilling lives when they stick with their treatment plan.
Successful coping with Borderline Personality Disorder
Person with BPD can cope with this disorder using following
strategy to improve quality of life.
- Seek appropriate treatment from qualified Professional.
- Get an accurate diagnosis of your condition.
- Work with your doctor or therapist on a treatment plan
- Stick to your treatment plan
- Give it time to bring positive effect.
Complications associated with Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder can affect many sphere of life.
It can negatively affect intimate relationships, jobs, life at school or
college, social activities and self-image and thinking pattern resulting in:
- Interrupted education
- Relationships filled with conflicts, marital stress or divorce
- Difficulty in trusting others in relationships.
- Repeated changing jobs or job losses
- Multiple legal issues, such as facing prison or jail.
- Self-injury, such as cutting or burning, and frequent hospitalizations
- Involvement in abusive relationships
- sexually transmitted infections, Unplanned pregnancies, motor vehicle accidents and physical fights due to impulsive and risky behavior
- Attempted or completed suicide
- Person may also develop other psychological conditions like Depression, Alcohol or other substance misuse, Eating disorders Anxiety disorders, Bipolar disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Case Example of Borderline Personality Disorder
CASE STUDY DETAILS
Fatima is a 25-year-old Indian woman who presents with a history of non-suicidal self-injury, partucularly cutting her arms and legs, since she was a teenager. She also made two suicide attempts by overdosing on prescribed medications, one as a teenager and one six months ago; she also reports chronic suicidal ideation, explaining that it gives her relief to think about suicide as a “way out.”
When she is very much stressed. Fatima says that she often “zones out,” even in the middle of conversations or while at work. She states, “I don’t know that who Fatima really is,” and have longstanding pattern of changing her hobbies, clothing style, and sometimes even her job based on who is in her social group. At times, she thinks that her husband is “the best thing that’s ever happened to her” and will impulsively buy him lavish gifts, send caring text messages, and the like; however, at other times she admits to thinking that “I can’t stand him,” and will ignore or lash out at him, including yelling or throwing things. Immediately after doing so, she reports feeling regret and panic at the thought of him leaving her. Fatima reports that before she began dating her current husband she sometimes engaged in sexual activity with multiple people per week, often with partners whom she did not know.
SYMPTOMS
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Anger
·
Anxiety
·
Concentration Difficulties
·
Emotion Dysregulation
·
Impulsivity
·
Mood Cycles
·
Risky Behaviors
·
Self-Injury
·
Suicidal thoughts
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