Borderline personality disorder, also known as BPD, is a mental health condition that affects how a person feels about themselves and their surroundings, making it difficult to function normally in daily life.
Because of this condition, a person experiences long-standing patterns of emotional instability that often lead to impulsive or chaotic behavior.
What Causes Borderline Personality Disorder?
In most cases, the first signs of borderline personality disorder appear during childhood, but the more problematic symptoms tend to emerge in early adulthood.
Currently, the exact cause of borderline personality disorder isn’t known, but it’s been linked to environmental factors, as well as a history of abuse or neglect during childhood.
In some cases, genetic or hereditary factors have also been linked to this condition, either because a family member has had it, or because other mental health conditions have been present in the family.
Changes in certain areas of the brain can also affect aggression, impulsivity, and emotional regulation.
Beyond this, other risk factors have been identified as contributing to the development of borderline personality disorder, such as a difficult or abusive childhood, or having experienced one or more stressful events at some point in life.
How Can You Tell If You Have Borderline Personality Disorder?
This condition affects how you perceive yourself, how you relate to others, and how you behave. While every case is different, and symptoms can vary in intensity, some common signs of borderline personality disorder include:
- Fear of abandonment: the person has an intense fear of abandonment, leading them to take extreme measures to avoid being rejected or left alone; these fears may or may not be based in reality.
- Unstable relationships: a pattern of intense, unstable relationships develops, where the other person may be idealized as perfect one moment, and viewed as extremely cruel the next.
- Shifting self-perception: someone with borderline personality disorder experiences rapid changes in self-perception, which can include shifts in their interests, values, goals, and even how they view themselves, as either a good or bad person.
- Paranoia: stress and a loss of connection with reality can lead to episodes of paranoia lasting from a few minutes to several hours.
- Risky behavior: people with this condition often engage in risky, impulsive behavior, which can include gambling, dangerous activities, compulsive spending, binge eating, substance misuse, self-sabotage, poor decisions in otherwise healthy relationships, or unsafe sexual behavior, among others.
- Self-harm: as a response to fear of abandonment or rejection, self-harming behavior or even suicidal thoughts can occur.
- Mood swings: sudden mood changes can occur, lasting anywhere from hours to days, alternating between periods of euphoria, depression, anxiety, irritability, shame, joy, and more.
- Emptiness: a persistent feeling of emptiness is common.
- Explosiveness: intense feelings such as anger, impatience, sarcasm, bitterness, or the urge to physically confront others can develop.
If someone shows one or more of these characteristics, it’s important to seek specialized medical care. That said, it’s also worth noting that having some of these traits doesn’t automatically mean someone has borderline personality disorder, but seeking specialized care is still important regardless of the underlying cause.
To reach a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, as with any other personality disorder, it’s necessary to undergo a mental health evaluation with a specialist, who may conduct interviews or other assessments to diagnose or rule out possible conditions.
I’ve Been Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, What’s Next?
Once someone has received a diagnosis, the primary treatment approach is psychotherapy, which can help improve overall functioning, teach emotional regulation, reduce impulsivity, improve interpersonal relationships, and, of course, help the person better understand the condition itself.
Treatment for borderline personality disorder focuses on making sense of emotionally difficult moments, and this may involve individual, group, or family therapy.
Beyond the different psychotherapy approaches available, medication may sometimes be needed as well. While there’s no medication specifically designed to treat this condition, medication may be used to manage related symptoms such as impulsivity, anxiety, or depression.
In some cases, particularly when a person is at risk of harming themselves or others, or facing more difficult situations, care in a hospital or specialized mental health facility may be necessary.
When it comes to borderline personality disorder, it’s important to understand that this is a condition that takes time to learn to manage in terms of thoughts, emotions, and behavior. While most people, with an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment, see significant improvement in their mental health, others may find it more challenging, with ups and downs along the way. In every case, though, proper treatment makes day-to-day life more manageable.
At ABC Medical Center’s Neurology Center, we can provide you with specialized care if you have questions about borderline personality disorder. Contact us!
