Borderline Personality Disorder

BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

Borderline personality disorder is a mental health disorder that impacts the way you think and feel about yourself and others, causing problems functioning in everyday life. It usually begins by early adulthood. The condition seems to be worse in young adulthood and may gradually get better with age.

SYMPTOMS

• An intense fear of abandonment, even going to extreme measures to avoid real or imagined separation or rejection
• A pattern of unstable intense relationships, such as idealizing someone one moment and then suddenly believing the person doesn't care enough or is cruel
• 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
• Wide mood swings lasting from a few hours to a few days, which can include intense happiness, irritability, shame or anxiety

"Do I even exist?"

"I hate you...Don't leave me!"

CAUSES

While the exact causes of borderline personality disorder is unknown, research has determined some environmental, biological and genetic factors. These include:

• Being a victim of emotional, physical or sexual abuse
• Being exposed to long-term fear or distress as a child
• Being neglected by 1 or both parents
• Growing up with another family member who had a serious mental health condition, such as bipolar disorder or a drink or drug misuse problem

4.5 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE BPD (1-2% OFTHE POPULATION)

• Psychotherapy: Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Schema-focused therapy, Mentalization-based therapy, Transference-focused psychotherapy, etc.
• Medications: Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, Anxiolytics (anti-anxiety medications), Mood stabilizers / anticonvulsants, etc.