Borderline Personality Disorder

This is a report I did when I was in college.  I thought I would share it.

Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work, long-term goals, and the individual's sense of self-identity. BPD is more common, mostly young women. There is a high rate of self injury without suicide intent, a significant rate of suicide attempts and suicide in severe cases. Patients often need extensive mental health services, with help, many improve over time and are eventually able to lead normal lives.

A person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety. These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self injury, and drug and/or alcohol abuse. Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values. They may feel misunderstood, bored, lonely, mistreated, and usually have little idea of who they really are.

People with BPD often have unstable social relationships. While they can develop intense attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from great admiration and love to intense anger and dislike. They may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all.

Fears of abandonment seem to be related to feeling emotionally connected to the person when they are physically absent, leaving the individual with BPD feeling lost. Suicide threats and attempts may occur with seeing this as abandonment and disappointments. People with BPD exhibit other impulsive behaviors; excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD often occurs  with other psychiatric problems,  bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and other personality disorders.

Studies show that many, with BPD report a history of abuse, neglect, or separation as young children. Researchers believe that BPD results from a combination of individual vulnerability to environmental stress, neglect or abuse as young children, and a series of events that trigger the onset of the disorder as young adults.

Group and individual psychotherapy are at least partially effective for many patients suffering with BPD.  Antidepressant drugs and mood stabilizers may be helpful for depressed  mood. Antipsychotic drugs may also be used when there are distortions in thinking. Treatments are often prescribed based on specific target symptoms shown by the individual patient.

By Shirley M.  2/23/05