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 What is it?: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a cluster of behavioral and psychological symptoms that is thought to be caused by combination of genetic and environmental factors. People who suffer from BPD have difficulty regulating their emotions, have unstable and chaotic interpersonal relationships, experience chronic feelings of emptiness, and are prone to dichotomous ("black-white" or "all or nothing") thinking. They may engage in impulsive and risky behaviors such as reckless driving, unsafe sex, compulsive spending or substance abuse. Some experience compulsive or restrictive eating, uncontrolled rage, and engage in self injurious behaviors.
BPD can lead to significant impairment. Frequent hospitalizations, suicide threats as well as suicide attempts, are also components of this disorder.
How to identify Borderline Personality Disorder: People who suffer from this disorder will have many of the symptoms listed below:
- Intense and unstable, intense, "love-hate" relationships.
- Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.
- Rapid or frequent mood swings.
- Rage attacks in response to real or misinterpreted interpersonal slights.
- Intense anger and inability to control anger.
- Risk taking and impulsiveness (ie, gambling, shopping sprees, reckless driving, binge eating, substance abuse).
- Chronic feelings of depression, sadness or emptiness.
- Disassociating or zoning out under stress.
- Intentional self-harming behaviors (ie, cutting, burning or scratching).
- Recurring suicide thoughts and or attempts.
Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder: Until recently, personality disorders have been thought to be untreatable and the focus has been on reduction of symptoms through psychotropic medication. However, Dr. Marsha Linehan and her research team have combined methodologies from behavioral and cognitive psychology with the practice of “mindfulness” and developed Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which has proven to significantly decrease the painful symptoms of this disorder. The focus of treatment is on building a life worth living.
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