Borderline Personality Disorder

Personality disorders are a diagnostic category of psychiatric disorders that affect approximately 10% of the population (Torgersen, 2005). Since everyone has a personality, but not everyone has a personality disorder, these disorders are considered a variant form of normal, healthy personality. This group of disorders is characterized by problematic thinking patterns; problems with emotional regulation; and difficulty achieving a balance between spontaneity and impulse control.  However, the most significant and defining feature of personality disorders is the negative effect these disorders have on interpersonal relationships. People with personality disorders tend to respond to differing situations and demands with a characteristically rigid constellation of thoughts, feelings, and behavior.  This inflexibility and difficulty forming nuanced responses, represents the primary difference between healthy and disordered personalities. The diagnosis of personality disorders ...

The big four in current use The treatment of choice for borderline personality disorder (BPD) is psychotherapy. Currently, four forms of psychotherapy have been found to be effective in treating those with BPD. 1 Two of these treatments—mentalization-based therapy and transference-focused therapy—are viewed as psychodynamic in nature. This means that they focus on identifying recurring patterns in relationships, discussing past experiences, exploring emotions, and bring into awareness mental processes of which the person was not previously aware. A third—dialectical behavioural therapy—is viewed as more cognitive-behavioural in nature. This means that it focuses on unhelpful thinking styles that are believed to affect how a person feels and behaves. The fourth treatment—schema-focused therapy—combines cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic elements. Mentalization-based therapy (MBT)  has been designed to specifically promote the capacity for mentalization in peopl...

A personality disorder is a pattern of feelings and behaviors that seem appropriate and justified to the person experiencing them, even though these feelings and behaviors cause a great deal of problems in that person’s life. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder that typically includes the following symptoms: Inappropriate or extreme emotional reactions Highly impulsive behaviors A history of unstable relationships Intense mood swings, impulsive behaviors, and extreme reactions can make it difficult for people with borderline personality disorder to complete schooling, maintain stable jobs and have long-lasting, healthy relationships. Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline personality disorder symptoms vary from person to person and women are more likely to have this disorder than men. Common symptoms of the disorder include the following: Having an unstable or dysfunctional self-image or a distorted sense of self (how one ...

    Date: September 8, 2016 Source: Wolters Kluwer Health Even as researchers gain new insights into the neurobiology of borderline personality disorder (BPD), there's a pressing need to improve diagnosis and management of this                devastating psychiatric condition, experts say. Although the diagnostic criteria for BPD are well-accepted, it continues to be a misunderstood and sometimes neglected condition; many psychiatrists actively avoid making the diagnosis. Borderline personality disorder accounts for nearly 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations and outpatient clinic admissions, but only three percent of the research budget of the National Institute of Mental Health. The Guest Editors hope their special issue will contribute to overcoming the disparity between BPD's public health importance and the attention received by psychiatry. Highlights include: A research update on the  neu...

The following blog posts are written for people with personal experience of  personality disorders . By talking openly, our bloggers hope to increase understanding around mental health, break down stereotypes and take the taboo out of something that – like physical health – affects us all. Laura,  November 12, 2019 As I listened to my favourite true crime podcast, they started discussing my diagnosis. I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and one of the criminals involved in the story shared it too. The following discussion by the presenters made my heart drop. Borderlines don’t care about other people. Borderlines are manipulative. Borderlines are pathologically uncaring and selfish. Borderlines are violent. I thought to myself that if they are saying these things, then others must be too. BPD is often poorly understood and its existence is also questioned. I am real. My illness is real. My illness deserves to be understood. My illness d...