What is Borderline Personality Disorder? Is heredity the cause or is it a person’s surrounding environment? What are its effects? Are there any treatments available for it? Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD is a serious illness that causes a person to experience instability in moods, exhibit impulsive, quite often aggressive, behavior and creates severe self-worth issues. BPD is usually not a “stand alone” illness and typically is accompanied by other disorders such as Dysthymia, Bipolar Disorder and Substance Abuse. Although BPD can be extremely dangerous to those affected by it and those surrounded by them, it is quite often not given enough attention or taken as serious as it should be. As well, BPD is commonly misdiagnosed as other disorders such as Bipolar and Schizophrenia have many of the same symptoms. This is one reason why BPD may not get enough attention; if it is being diagnosed as something other than what it truly is, the entire illness and it’s affects are not fully then being treated. If a person is not being treated for BPD as a whole, the chances of them dealing with it in a positive way are slim. Causes, symptoms and treatment of BPD are things we must thoroughly understand to grasp exactly what the illness is and why it is so difficult for those affected to live with. Studies show that six to ten million Americans suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder. Of those numbers, seventy-five to ninety percent are females. There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason why more women suffer from this disease than men however, it is stated that perhaps the numbers show what they do because women are more accepting of the disease and admitting that they need help. One of the big questions surrounding BPD is what... ... middle of paper ... ...t there is nothing easy about it. The worst thing is realizing how good of a person someone can be, but when one thing slips out of place and the BDP erupts from within, it is an ugly place to be. You know the person needs help but they are either in denial, or simply do not care to change. Unfortunately, for those in that situation, there is nothing you can do but allow them to hit “rock bottom” and hope at that point, they seek help for themselves. Borderline Personality Disorder is a complex illness that medical professionals are still piecing together today. Being that is not based on any specific cause, there are many factors involved and make it difficult to truly pinpoint why certain people are affected by BPD. Works Cited NAMI. Web. N.d. http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=54&ContentID=44780
People with Borderline Personality Disorder tend to view the world as simple as possible. People who view the world like this, confuse the actions of others. (Hoermann et al, 2005) Recurrent thoughts about their relationships with others, lead them to experience extreme emotional reactions, great agony which they have a hard time controlling, which would result in engaging in self-destructive behaviors. Diagnosing a patient with this disorder can be challenging which is why is it is labeled as one of the difficult ones to diagnose. (Hoermann et al, 2005)
This paper looks at a person that exhibits the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). In the paper, examples are given of symptoms that the person exhibits. These symptoms are then evaluated using the DSM-V criteria for BPD. The six-different psychological theoretical models are discussed, and it is shown how these models have been used to explain the symptoms of BPD. Assessment of
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has been a disability surrounded by stigma and confusion for a long time, and the time to bring awareness and public understanding to this disability is long overdue. The disability itself often gets misdiagnosed as an other disability since the symptoms overlap with many other disabilities (NIMH, n.d, para 16), or worse case scenario, a medical professional refuses to diagnose or treat the disability due to the belief that these people are untreatable because of a negative schema about the disability and clinical controversies on whether BPD is a legitimate diagnosis (Hoffman, 2007) . However, after nearly three decades of research, it has come to light that BPD does indeed exist, does have a good prognosis for remission with treatment (BPD Overview, n.d, para 3), and that there are many treatment options available such as three different types of psychotherapy (Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Schema-focused therapy), omega-3 fatty acid supplements, and/or medications (NIMH, n.d, para 29, 30, 31, and 39, 41). Even though the disability started as a psychoanalytic colloquialism for untreatable neurotics (Gunderson, 2009), BPD is very treatable and doesn’t deserve the stigma it currently carries throughout society.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) affects about 4% of the general population, and at least 20% of the clinical psychiatric population. (Kernberg and Michels, 2009) In the clinical psychiatric population, about 75% of those with the disorder are women. BPD is also significantly heritable, with 42-68% of the variance associated with genetic factors, similar to that of hypertension. BPD can also develop due to environmental factors such as childhood neglect and/or trauma, insecure attachment, and exposure to marital, family, and psychiatric issues. (Gunderson, 2011)
In the past, BPD was believed to be a set of symptoms between problems associated with mood and schizophrenia. These symptoms were believed to be comprised of distortions of reality and mood problems. A closer look at this disorder has resulted in the realization that even though the symptoms of this disorder reveal emotional complexity, this disorder is more closer to other personality disorders, on the basis of the manner in which it develops and occurs in families, than to schizophrenia (Hoffman, Fruzzetti, Buteau &ump; Neiditch, 2005). The use of the term borderline has however, resulted in a heated controversy between the health care fraternity and patients. Patients argue that this term appears to be somehow discriminatory and that it should be removed and the disorder renamed. Patients point out that an alternative name, such as emotionally unstable personality disorder, should be adopted instead of borderline personality disorder. Clinicians, on the other hand, argue that there is nothing wrong with the use of the term borderline. Opponents of this term argue that the terms used to describe persons suffering from this disorder, such as demanding, treatment resistant, and difficult among others, are discriminatory. These terms may create a negative feeling of health professionals towards patients, an aspect that may lead to adoption of negative responses that may trigger self-destructive behavior (Giesen-Bloo et al, 2006). The fact however, is that the term borderline has been misunderstood and misused so much that any attempt to redefine it is pointless leaving scrapping the term as the only option.
There are treatments for this mental disorder. Like in the movie, if I were to treat Susanne I would use cognitive behavioral therapy. This method focuses on the patient’s views and beliefs about their own life, not on personality traits. Even in the movie it shows how they used this exact technique to cure Susanne’s BPD. It focused on the client and therapist’s relationship in the center of their treatment, just like Susanne had with her therapist. I know that this therapy would be good for her because she will develop a better relationship between her therapist, others, and more importantly, herself. The therapy helped Susanne replace everything wrong about her living that do not work well with ways of living that works. It gave her more control over her life.
Some of the most common actions or responses for individuals with borderline personality disorder are suicidal. Incorporating the teaching of problem-solving skills will hopefully, again, reduce the number of suicidal thoughts or behaviors an individual has that could result in serious self-injury (Van Goethem, A., et al.). Lastly, arguably the most important component of the dialectical behavior therapy is allowing those who have undergone the treatment to test what they have learned. The final stage of this therapy involves having the patients visualize themselves in certain scenarios and creating a response to what they are envisioning. The most important part of this process is having patients trust their responses without utilizing the help and opinions of other individuals (Van Goethem, A., et al.). Though there are several different components that make up the dialectical behavioral therapy, they are each crucial to the treatment for individuals with, not only borderline personality disorder, but many other psychological disorders as well. Some of the effects of how this treatment has worked can be observed in a couple of different
Linehan addressed the need for effective and empirically supported psychotherapeutic treatment for borderline personality disorder. She discovered important shortcomings in standard cognitive and behavioral (CBT) treatments (Chapman & Robins, 2004). DBT was developed to address difficulties faced when implementing standard CBT to ...
“People with BPD are like people with third degree burns over 90% of their bodies. Lacking emotional skin, they feel agony at the slightest touch or movement.” This quote by Marsha M. Linehan is comparing people with Borderline Personality Disorder to burn victims. Lots of people have troubles seeing how hard it is for people with mental disorders to go about their everyday life. People often compare mental and physical disorders as if they fit in the same category. They usually tend put down mental disorders because it is something they cannot visually see, therefore it is easier to dismiss. The burn victims, Marsha M. Linehan is speaking of, experience agony at every small movement and lack emotional skin. She says just like the burn victims,
Borderline Personality disorder is a commonly misdiagnosed mental illness. The symptoms of borderline personality disorder are so closely related to other mental illnesses, that it is most often under diagnosed or misdiagnosed altogether. This illness can be completely debilitating to effected person. They do not understand that it is their mental illness that is making them feel the way that they do. They feel hopeless, like their lives will never improve from this point. Which is a major factor into why borderline personality disorder has one of the highest rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental illness characterized by patterns of ongoing instability in moods, behavior, self-image, and functioning. An individual suffering from this disorder may act impulsively and experience unstable relationships (The National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). The term Borderline Personality Disorder stems from the idea that the characteristics of this disorder fall between anxiety and psychosis (Cacioppo & Freberg, 2016). According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (2017), “1.6% of the adult U.S. population have BPD but it may be as high as 5.9%. Nearly 75% of people diagnosed with BPD are women, but recent research suggests that men may be almost as frequently
An estimated 1.6%-5.9% of the adult population in the United States has BPD, with nearly 75% of the people who are diagnosed being women. Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder include Frantic efforts to avoid being abandoned by friends and family, Unstable personal relationships that alternate between idealizations, Distorted and unstable self-image, Impulsive behaviors that can have dangerous outcomes, Suicidal and self-harming behavior, Periods of intense depressed mood, irritability or anxiety lasting a couple hours/days, Chronic feelings of boredom or emptiness, Inappropriate, intense or uncontrollable anger - often followed by shame and guilt, and Dissociative feelings. The three main factors that could cause this mental illness are Genetics, Environmental factors, and Brain function. This illness can only be diagnosed by a mental health professional after a series of interviews with the patient and family/friends of the patient. The patient must also have at least five of the nine symptoms of this illness in order to be diagnosed. The most common treatment for this illness is some form of psychotherapy. Some other treatment options are to prescribe medications and if needed a short-term
Borderline personality disorder affects about 1.6% of the entire u.s. population (Salters-Pedneault). BPD is five times more likely to occur in a person if they have a close family member that already has the disorder (National Institute of Mental Health) . An example of a close family member would be the person’s mother or father. Symptoms of BPD consist of unstable relationships with their family, friends and loved ones. The person will swing from extreme closeness and love to extreme dislike. The person will also experience impulsive behaviors that are not safe. They have intense mood swings and have inappropriate, intense anger that they have a hard time controlling. A person struggling with BPD will also experience stress-related, paranoid thoughts (National Institute of Mental Health). Another mental health disorder is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is a non genetic disorder that affects 7-8% of the u.s. Population (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs). The disease develops in people who have experienced an immense emotionally shocking or dangerous event. The events can range from near death experiences to sudden, unexpected deaths of loved ones. Symptoms of PTSD usually start within three months of the shocking or dangerous event. PTSD sufferers can experience flashbacks, feelings of guilt or blame, angry outbursts, negative feelings about the world, and a loss of interest in enjoyable activities (National Institute of Mental Health). Another mental health disorder is Schizophrenia. People suffering from this disorder experience hallucinations and delusions that they believe to be real (National Institute of Mental Health). They also experience a reduction in expressed emotions and reduced feelings of pleasure in everyday life, such as increased difficulty to begin and sustain activities and a reduction in the amount of speaking the
Borderline personality disorder, abbreviated to BPD, is an illness regarding mental health that spawns a great deal of emotional unsteadiness and unpredictability and has the capability to trail off into other stressing mental and behavioral difficulties. This psychological disorder known as borderline personality disorder is not entirely portrayed within the very beginning of the movie. Displayed is a young woman at the age of eighteen with a strange lifestyle where she considered all types of sex as casual. Her graduation day is shown where she has actually fallen asleep. As regards that sleepiness, depicted is
The history of BPD can be traced back to 1938 when Adolph Stern first described the symptoms of the disorder as neither being psychotic nor psychoneurotic; hence, the term ‘borderline’ was introduced (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15). Then in 1960, Otto Kernberg coined the term ‘borderline personality organization’ to describe persistent patterns of behavior and functioning consisting of instability, and distressed psychological self-organization (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15).