Borderline personality disorder
Description
Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness in which a person has emotional and behavioral instability. It causes self-image issues, unstable emotions, and unstable relationships, in addition to marked impulsivity. This condition arises in adolescence and early adulthood and affects functioning in everyday life. The disease incidence is about 1.6% of people around the world, but it’s thought that it’s underdiagnosed and that the real disease incidence may be more than this. More women are affected by this condition compared to men, with a ratio of 3:1.
Symptoms
The affected person may have symptoms that include :
- Strong fear of abandonment which makes the person avoid real or perceived abandonment
- A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships, which alternate
- Disturbed and unstable self-image or sense of self
- Impulsive and dangerous behavior (ex: reckless driving, binge eating, drug abuse)
- Self-harming behavior
- Recurring suicidal thoughts or threats
- Chronic feeling of emptiness
- Highly variable moods, with episodes that lasts from a few hours to a few days
- Difficulty controlling anger or inappropriate intense anger
- Transient and stress-related paranoid ideation or severe feelings of dissociation
Visit a Psychiatrist to be diagnosed and treated properly, If you or one of your family have any of these symptoms
Recommended Doctors
View MoreCauses
The exact cause of borderline personality disorder development is unknown, but several factors are involved in this such as :
- Genetics (It’s thought that it’s an inherited disorder and the risk increases if one of the close relatives has a borderline personality disorder).
- Brain changes (Physical changes in the brain).
- Environmental and social factors (Trauma, child abuse, neglection by the parents, bullying, rejection by peers).
Diagnostics
A borderline personality disorder is usually diagnosed in adolescence or young adulthood. Diagnostic tools include :
- Physical examination and laboratory tests : To exclude any other condition causing these symptoms.
- Psychiatrist assessment : The Psychiatrist assesses the mental state of the patient by talking about the symptoms, and family history and using specific criteria and questionnaires to diagnose the patient.
Treatment
Treatment depends mainly on psychotherapy, but medications can be used with it as well.
Psychotherapy :
- Mentalizing-based therapy : Helps the patient manage emotion dysregulation by feeling understood, allowing him to be more curious and make fewer assumptions about the intentions of the people around them.
- Dialectical behavior therapy : Uses a skills-based approach to teach the patient how to manage his emotions, tolerate distress, and improve relationships.
- Transference-focused psychotherapy : Focuses on using the patient-therapist relationship to help the patient to understand his emotions and interpersonal problems.
Medications :
- Mood stabilizers (ex : Lithium carbonate, Carbamazepine, Oxcarbazepine Valproic acid).
- Antidepressants (ex : Fluoxetine, Citalopram, Escitalopram, Paroxetine).
- Antipsychotics (ex : Risperidone, Aripiprazole, Ziprasidone).
