Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a chronic mental illness that usually lasts for an individual's life. This personality disorder appears in cluster B (aka the "dramatic/erratic" cluster), which means it is largely characterized by extreme emotional outbursts and behavioral complications.
Symptoms of BPD:
Intense mood swings (it may be difficult for people with BPD to control their emotions like anger or sadness)
Viewing things in extremes (ex: as either good or bad --nothing in between)
Feeling empty
Self harm/suicidal and depressive thoughts
Impulsive and unsafe behaviors
Fear of abandonment (although people with BPD also find it difficult to maintain stable relationships)
As with many other disorders, illnesses, and conditions, a person with borderline personality disorder may not experience all these symptoms, and may experience them with varying severities. However, these feelings and symptoms are chronic.
Causes of BPD:
There are many known causes of BPD, including abandonment or poor relationships during childhood, as well as physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
Brain scans by researchers on people with borderline personality disorder have found that the amygdala, the orbitofrontal cortex, and the hippocampus all appear to be smaller, or have heightened activity. The amygdala is known for contributing to the fight-or-flight response, as well as emotional regulation (particularly with negative emotions). The amygdala being smaller in size could account for the extreme mood swings prevalent in people with BPD. The orbitofrontal cortex is involved in decision making. Damage to this area, like we see in BPD, can cause impulsive behaviors and poor decision making, as well as other personality and behavioral changes, which are prevalent in people with BPD. While the hippocampus' most important job involves memory storage, it also plays a role in processing emotions, more specifically, emotions related to anxiety. This could explain the anxiety that is usually related to BPD.
There has also been some evidence that genetics could play a role in having borderline personality disorder.
Treatments:
Psychotherapy (talk therapy) or group therapy is probably the most common treatment given for people with BPD. These therapy sessions can be helpful in managing emotions or anxiety, and may help the individual with BPD make sense of their mental state, which can also be very helpful for managing mood swings. Medications can also be used to treat underlying disorders in people with BPD, such as depression or the intense mood swings, however, medication is not commonly used in people with BPD.
Sometimes it can be difficult to diagnose an individual with BPD due to the fact that this personality disorder has many overlapping symptoms with other illnesses such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and more.
Borderline personality disorder can be a really difficult and frustrating mental illness to deal with. It is generally very difficult for people with BPD to maintain strong, healthy, long-term relationships which could contribute negatively to their fear of being alone or abandoned. Also, it has been proven that people with BPD are significantly more likely to attempt or commit suicide than most (about 10% of people with BPD die by suicide).
Call '988' if you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide.
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