Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health disorder characterized by instability in mood, behavior, self-image, and interpersonal relationships. Individuals with BPD often experience intense and fluctuating emotions, have difficulty regulating their emotions, and struggle with forming stable relationships. The causes of this disorder aren’t fully known, and it is considered rare, with fewer than 10,000 cases per year in Canada. Those with hereditary predisposition or a stressful childhood are more at risk of developing BPD.
Symptoms may include:
- Fear of abandonment
- Pattern of unstable relationships
- Quickly shifting self-perception
- Intense mood swings
- Periods of stress-related paranoia
- Impulsive and risky behaviour (eg. drug misuse, binge eating, reckless driving, gambling)
- Suicidal thoughts and self-harm
- Unregulated anger and aggression
There is a grand misconception that BPD is untreatable; however, research has indicated the opposite. Rather than using medication-based intervention, which is moderately efficient at best, some suggest psychotherapy is the route to take. The most widely used and studied form of psychotherapeutic treatment for BPD is
Dialectical-behavior therapy (DPT), which “focuses on helping people accept the reality of their lives and their behaviors, as well as helping them learn to change their lives, including their unhelpful behaviors,” (Cleveland Clinic). It teaches skills to manage emotions, reduce harmful behaviors, and improve relationships. Medications such as mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotics can also help alleviate specific symptoms like mood swings, depression, and anxiety.
References
File, A. A., Hurley, R. A., & Taber, K. H. (2017, July 7). Borderline Personality Disorder: Neurobiological Contributions to Remission and Recovery. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.
Retrieved May 23, 2024, from https://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.17050097
Mayo Clinic. (2024, January 31). Borderline personality disorder. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved May 23, 2024, from