Borderline Personality Disorder
BPD, or borderline personality disorder, is a psychiatric disease marked by mood instability, impulsive behaviour, and relational difficulties. The signs and symptoms usually show in adolescence or early adulthood, but they can start as early as childhood.
Risk Factors
Although the exact causes of borderline personality disorder are unknown, genetic and environmental variables appear to play a role in the development of the disorder. A familial relationship to the condition has been discovered in twin studies. There appear to be anomalies in the genes that regulate emotions and impulse control in BPD individuals. Females are three times as likely than males to be diagnosed with BPD.
Environmental disturbances may enhance the patient’s likelihood of acquiring the disease, as they do with other psychiatric disorders, once there is a genetic predisposition. The following are some of the environmental risk factors for BPD:
1.Abuse of a sexual nature
2.During childhood, you may have experienced abandonment or a terrible loss.
3. Unstable Family relationships
Borderline Personality Disorder Signs and Symptoms
Patients suffering from borderline personality disorder have unstable personalities. They are frequently unable to create or maintain comfortable relationships due to their persistent dread of abandonment, self-doubt, and reluctance to be alone. Patients with borderline personality disorder tend to become obsessed once in a relationship, either idealising or completely dismissing the other person. Other signs and symptoms of this condition include:
1.Self-inflicted harm
2.Emptiness, dullness, or disconnection are common feelings.
4.Threats of suicide
5.Extreme emotional reactions to everyday occurrences
6.Relationships that are stressful and tumultuous
7.Thoughts or feelings of paranoia
8.Minor severances cause distress.
9.A large majority of patients with BPD also suffer from other psychiatric diseases.
Treatment for Borderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder is often treated with a mix of psychotherapy and drugs, although this can be problematic because people with BPD may drop out of treatment or refuse to take their prescriptions.
Medications
Although no medicine has been licenced to treat the disease as a whole, it may be used to treat symptoms of anxiety, sadness, or mood instability. Omega-3 fatty acids have been demonstrated to help women with BPD reduce their symptoms of despair and hostility, according to one study.
Psychotherapy
Several methods of psychotherapy have been demonstrated to be particularly effective for BPD patients. These are some of them:
1.Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
2.Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
3.Schema-focused therapy
All of these methods of psychotherapy are intended to help patients become more conscious of their current behaviour, decrease self-destructive impulses, transform harmful belief systems, and improve social connections. The outlook is positive for individuals who commit to a treatment plan.
Dr. Rameez Shaikh, MD is Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist who provides treatment for Border Personality Disorder through psychotherapy and medication if required.
Disclaimer : The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your Psychiatrist or mental health Professional.
