Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder:

General Info:

Borderline personality disorder is a psychological disorder which impacts the way a person thinks and feels about them self and others, causing issues in their everyday life. which can include self-imaging issues, having a difficult time managing emotions, their behavior, and a pattern of bad relationships.

Persons with borderline personality disorder, have an intense phobia of abandonment or instability, and they may have a difficult time tolerating being alone. They also have inappropriate anger, impulsivity and constant mood swings which may push others away, even though they may want to have loving and long term relationships.

Borderline personality disorder usually begins by age 18 or older. These conditions may seem to be worse in early adulthood and may slowly get better as they get older.

People suffering from borderline personality disorder, should not get discouraged. Many individuals with Borderline personality disorder get better over time with treatment and can live better lives.

Borderline Personality Symptoms:

Borderline personality disorder affects how a person feels about them self, how they relate to others and how they act.

Visible signs and symptoms:

• An intense fear of isolation, they might even take extreme measures to avoid real or imaginary separation and fear of rejection.
• A long list of of unstable intense relationships, such as worshiping someone one moment and then suddenly thinking that the person is evil.
• Fast changes in self-believe and self-image that include changing goals and values, and seeing them self as evil or as if they don’t even exist at all.
• Going through periods of stress-related paranoid thoughts and loss of contact with the truth, lasting from a few minutes to half a day.
• Impulsivity and high risk behavior, such as alcohol abuse, other substance abuse, or gambling, or reckless driving, or random unsafe sexual encounters, or spending sprees, over eating or drug abuse, or sabotaging their own success by suddenly quitting a great job or suddenly ending a good relationship.
• Suicidal thoughts, threats or behavior or self-harm, often due to fear of loss, separation or rejection.
• Wide range of mood changes lasting from a few hours to a few days, which can include intense joy, hypersensitivity, shame or anxiety.
• False feelings of loneliness.
• Unnecessary and extreme anger, such as lose of temper, sarcasm or bitterness, or physical fights.

When to Seek Professional Help:

When a person becomes aware of the signs and or symptoms mentioned above, they should consult their medical doctor or a mental health professional.

Suicidal Thoughts:

If a person is fantasizing or having mental thoughts of hurting them self or have other types of suicidal thoughts, they should get help immediately by taking one of these steps:

• Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency telephone number immediately.
• Or Call a suicide hotline telephone number. In the United States call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) 24 hours a day. Use that same telephone number and press just “1” to reach the Veterans Crises Line.
• Or Call a mental health professional, medical doctor or other health care professionals.
• Or reach out to a loved one, a family member, a close friend, a trusted person, or a co-worker.
• Or contact someone from their religious community.

If someone notices signs, issues or symptoms of borderline personality disorder in a loved one or a friend, they should talk to the person to see a medical doctor or mental health professional. No one can force another to get help. If the relationship with the borderline personality disorder person is causing significant stress, one may find help by seeing a psycho-therapist them self.

Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder:

As with other mental health illnesses, the main causes of borderline personality disorder are unknown. There could be environmental factors, like a history of childhood physical, and mental abuse or neglect, borderline personality disorder may also be linked to other issues such as:

• Genetics. Family history. Many studies of twins and families shows that personality disorders may be genetically caused or could be connected to other mental health disorders among blood relatives.
• Brain abnormalities. Some of the research shows that changes in certain parts of the brain may involve emotional regulation, impulsivity and anger. Also, some brain chemicals that assist in the regulation of mood, like serotonin, may not be functioning normally.

Risk Factors of Borderline Personality Disorder:

Certain risk factors connected to personality development can effect the risk of developing borderline personality disorder. These may include:

• Hereditary predisposition. family history. Blood relatives specifically. A person may be at more of a risk if a close blood relative: like a mother, or father, or brother or sister — has the same mental health disorder.
• Stressful childhood. Childhood abuse. Most people with this disorder may report being mentally, sexually or physically abused or abandoned during their childhood. Some people in their childhood may have lost or were separated from their parent or close caregiver or had parents or caregivers with substance abuse or other mental health disorders. Others have reported that they were exposed to a hostile environment and unstable family relationships.

Complications of Borderline Personality Disorder:

Borderline personality disorder can destroy many areas of a persons life. It can negatively impact close relationships, work, school, social life and self-image, that can result in:

• Repeated job loss.
• Not finishing their education.
• Multiple issues with the law, legal issues, serving jail or prison time.
• High conflict relationships, high stress marriages or even divorce.
• Self-harm, like cutting, burning, hurting, and multiple hospitalizations.
• Abusive relationships.
• Unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, car accidents and physical fights due to lack of self control and risky behavior.
• Attempts of suicide or even death by suicide.

In addition, the borderline person might have other psychological disorders, such as:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
  Addiction, gambling, alcohol or drug, other substance abuse issues.
• Paranoia, and Anxiety disorders.
• Eating disorders, food addiction.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Bipolar disorder.
• Depression.
• Also other personality disorders.