What is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)?

What are the Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline Personality Disorder causes are difficult to define. BPD is not caused due to a single factor but is likely to be developed due to a combination of factors. They include –

• Genetic predisposition

The vulnerability of developing BPD increases if you have a history of the mental illness running in your family. Almost 60% of the time the cause of BPD is due to genes. Many studies carried out show examples of how genetic influences play a huge role in determining the development of personality disorder. A strong linkage is seen in chromosome 9. However, be cautious of the fact that there is no evidence of a particular gene for the development of BPD.

• Issues with brain chemicals

Individuals who suffer from BPD have malfunctions in their brain chemicals specifically serotonin. Brain chemicals are essential in controlling functions in the brain. Alterations in the levels of serotonin have links to regulation in mood, aggression, depression and issues with controlling destructive urges.

• Abnormalities in brain structure and functioning

Studies using MRI scans have helped to understand abnormalities in the brain associated with the development of BPD. The scans reveal that most individuals with BPD showed three parts of the brain that had unusual levels of activity or were either smaller than they were supposed to be. These parts of the brain were:

1. The amygdala – The part of the brain associated with regulating emotions, specifically the more “negative” emotions, like aggression, fear and anxiety.
2. The hippocampus – The part of the brain associated with regulating behaviour and self-control.
3. The orbitofrontal cortex – The part of the brain associated with decision making and planning.

These areas of the brain contribute to symptoms of BPD. The reasoning behind this structuring is associated with environmental and social factors.

• Environmental and social factors

Environmental and social factors in childhood play a large role in the development of BPD. Most individuals who suffer from BPD have been victimized or exposed to environmental and social factors so grave that contributed to the development of personality disorder. They include:

1. Being exposed to chronic distress or fears as a child
2. Being victims of sexual, physical or emotional abuse.
3. Being subjected to parental neglect or abandonment
4. Being brought up or growing up with a family member/s who suffered from serious mental illness, like bipolar disorder, depression or substance abuse.
5. Unstable family relationships.

A study published in Advances in Psychiatric Treatment indicates that 87% of the individuals diagnosed with BPD, reported childhood trauma.

The relationship a child shares with one’s parents and family determines a huge part of one’s perception and interaction with the world. Unresolved issues in childhood could later develop into distorted thinking patterns as adults.

What are the Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder?

The BPD symptoms manifest in different ways, they include the following. To be diagnosed with BPD, one must show at least five of the following symptoms. These symptoms could occur from early adolescence.

1. Fear of being left alone – Here the individual takes desperate measures in order to avoid any kind of abandonment. The abandonment could be real or perceived.
2. Instability in relationships – BPD is marked by an individual’s inability to maintain or sustain relationships. A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
3. Identity disturbance – Individuals in BPD show persistent instability when it comes to their self-image or sense of self.
4. Impulsivity – Individuals who suffer from BPD show spontaneous and uninhibited behaviour in at least two areas of living that end up being self-damaging. Areas such as sexual intimacy, spending behaviour, substance use, eating, etc. They engage in increased reckless and risk-taking behaviours like driving recklessly.
5. Suicidal behaviour – Individuals experience and engage in recurrent suicidal behaviour and gestures. They would also adopt self-harm threatening means. They have also had past experiences of self-harm.
6. Unstable affect – Individuals here experience mood and emotional fluctuations that could last about from a few minutes to hours to even days. Suddenly going from happy to sad. Along with that they also experience irritability and anxiety.
7. Feelings of emptiness – Individuals with BPD also experience emptiness or void within them. This feeling of emptiness drives them to engage in impulsive behaviours in order to somehow fill in their void.
8. Intense anger – Individuals with BPD also experience intense and irrational anger that ends up being quite difficult to control. They would frequently display anger, engage in physical fights, etc.
9. Suspicious without proper evidence – Individuals with BPD experience paranoia and suspicion of others’ motives towards themselves that could sometimes be incongruent with reality. They could also experience dissociative symptoms, where they would feel spaced out or have an out-of-body experience.

Risk Factors Related to Borderline Personality Disorder

People with BPD tend to view things in extremes, either something is too good or too bad. They find it difficult to regulate emotions. They experience major mood swings and display uncertainty about their role among others. Off late borderline personality disorder in teens is being diagnosed early helping in better patient outcomes. Some of the risk factors include –

• Poorly developed or unstable self-image
• Always being self-critical
• Dissociative feelings or disconnection from your thoughts or sense of identity
• Experiencing a persistent feeling of being ‘empty’ inside
• An unstable and constant change of goals, values, aspirations, or career plans
• Inappropriate, intense anger or problems controlling anger
• Not able to recognize the feelings and needs of others
• Lack of empathy for family and friends
• Being very unsure about yourself and not really knowing who you are or what to think about yourself
• Difficulty in intimacy
• Unstable relationships marked by conflict, mistrust, neediness
• The constant fear of rejection and being abandoned
• Feelings of isolation, boredom, and emptiness
• Impulsive, risky, self-destructive, and dangerous behaviours
• Alcohol, drug, or substance abuse
• Recurring thoughts of suicidal behaviours or threats
• Experiencing other mental health problems due to BPD
• Feeling paranoid
• Having psychotic experiences, such as seeing or hearing things that other people don’t
• Feeling numb or ‘checked out’ and not remembering things very well – a condition called dissociation.

Individuals who are diagnosed with borderline personality disorder find instability their whole lives; i.e. in their relationships, thoughts, moods, behaviour, and even in their concept of themselves. But there is hope for individuals who suffer from BPD with the help of effective treatments and coping skills individuals could manage and control their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Can Borderline Personality Disorder Be Cured?

There has been quite a number of research on therapies that can be effective in the treatment of borderline personality disorder or BPD. BPD characterizes an individual with impulsivity, unstable relationships, high emotional impulses and feeling of abandonment. There are also other symptoms but these are primary.

The question of BPD being “cured”, that is the complete absence of symptoms, may or may not happen as it depends on various internal and external factors. However, reduction and effective management of the symptoms promoting normal and positive functioning are witnessed.

BPD is considered one of the most difficult-to-handle personality disorders. Hence quite a few studies were conducted to develop psychotherapies specifically for BPD. And Dialectical behavioural therapy is one of them. There are other therapies provided by psychologists and psychiatrists also available for the treatment of BPD.

Apart from these professional treatment options, there are a few self-help techniques you can apply that can help manage BPD symptoms. Note that these self-help techniques cannot be used as a treatment for BPD but rather they help, along with therapy, in reducing the symptoms.

Self-help Techniques:

1. Accepting emotions can be tough but is necessary. A simple way of doing that is to simply observe these emotions without judgments. This does not mean you need to act on these emotions but rather simply observe and be aware of them.
2. Reduce stress by relaxing. In BPD an individual is highly sensitive and emotional, even a small stressful incident can be triggering and overwhelming. Relaxation techniques like mindfulness or engaging in the desired activity can help.
3. To deal with impulsivity it is important that you become aware of them. This is necessary as every impulse may result out of distress. Giving in to these impulses gives only temporary relief. Once you are aware of this distress you are in a better position to effectively solve the issue.
4. When you feel the distress is too overwhelming, distract yourself. Any activity that you can completely pay attention to. This helps you calm down and later on you would be in a better position to think practically.
5. Try to control your assumptions. When interacting with others pay attention to your assumptions. Once you identify them, sit back and reflect on them if they are valid or not and the best way is to clarify with the other person.

Why Cadabams?

Cadabam’s is reputed as the best residential treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder in Bangalore. Everything that we do here is majorly focused on patient experience and clinical expertise. We understand that every individual with BPD exhibits different traits and has unique needs. We take the utmost care in tailoring the best-personalised treatment plans for everyone.

We deliver collaborative care. We work in collaboration with psychiatrists, physicians, mental health care teams and your loved ones to deliver the best possible care.

We aim at making every visit of yours to our clinic a pleasurable experience. We help you fight your condition effectively by making you feel at home.

We know how tough it is to deal with borderline personality disorders and make the right choices for well-being. Our goal is to ensure that every resident receives support and reinforcement in areas of distress tolerance, reality acceptance skills, interpersonal skills and emotional regulation skills.  For help with borderline personality disorder, call us now on +919611194949.

Disclaimer – We strive to treat our patients with dignity and the utmost sensitivity. We understand that mental health illness is a disease and not a sign of weakness. The term mental health issue is used not in a derogatory fashion but to remain relevant to user search trends and common usage. In case you or a loved are struggling with dementia or you are caring for one, do share your unique viewpoint on how we can improve this content for our readers, please reach out to us at info@cadabams.org