Why Are Women Diagnosed With Borderline Personality Disorder More Than Men?
Borderline Personality Disorder is diagnosed predominantly in females. There is approximately a 3:1 female to male gender ratio for this disorder.
Theories of why Borderline Personality Disorder occurs more often in women
- Sexual abuse, which is common in childhood histories of borderline patients, happens more often to women than men.
- Women experience more inconsistent and invalidating messages in this society.
- Women are more vulnerable to BPD because they are socialized to be more dependent on others and more sensitive to rejection.
- Clinicians tend to be biased. Studies have shown that mental health professionals tend to diagnose BPD more often in women than in men, even when patient profiles are identical except for the gender of the patient.
- Men seek psychiatric help less often.
- Men are more likely to be treated only for their alcoholism or substance abuse; their borderline symptoms go unnoticed because BPD is assumed to be a women’s disorder.
- Female borderlines are in the mental health system; male borderlines are in jail.
(www.bpdcentral.com)
Skodol, A. & Bender, D (2003) have also addressed several theories as to the gender bias with this diagnosis. Their research on gender bias in borderline personality disorder indicates that:
- The elevated base rate of women in clinical settings may be one of the reasons why clinicians perceive more women to have BPD.
- Women and men present with different symptoms patterns, such as the criterion of identity disturbance, which tends to be significantly more common among women.
- Female patients tend to receive unwarranted diagnoses of BPD more often when the clinician is a women, which suggests less acceptance of borderline-like traits and behaviors in women by women.
- Sampling bias in research
- Biological differences in which men show more aggression and externalizing behavior patterns and women show more behavioral inhibition and internalizing.
- Sociocultural differences
Johnson, DM., Shea M.
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)
Selby, E. A., & Joiner Jr, T. E. (2008). Ethnic variations in the structure of borderline personality
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.
Although some may disagree, I do believe that female are targets of gender bias and have been since birth. For example, a mother is more likely to be gentle with her infant daughter than she would her infant son. Another good example of gender bias is that girls are more than likely to be given a doll to play with, while on the other hand boys would be given a toy truck or ball. This type of action can affect a child’s development.
What causes BPD is still uncertain but medical professionals such as psychiatrist, psychologist and clinical workers think that it has something to do with genetics, environmental factors and brain functions. Many years ago, people speculated borderline personality disorder resulted from bad parenting. It is now said that Borderline personality disorder can be inherited from a family member who may have had an encounter with the disorder. A family member doesn’t have to have BPD but a related disorder such as bipolar disorder or depression. 60% of people get BPD from their genetics. People who have BPD have different results when taking the MRI. These results oft...
known to be twice as likely to suffer from anxiety than males. On the other hand, an equal
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
The same concept was expressed by Edward O. Wilson (1992), father of sociobiology at Harvard University. According to him, females tend to be better equipped in characteristics like verbal and social skills, security needs and empathy than their counterpart. In the other, Males tend to be better in spatial ...
Current research has demonstrated that females, on average, have a larger deep limbic system than males. Due to the larger limbic brain, woman are more in touch with their feelings, they are generally better to express their feelings than men (“Male-Female Brain Differences”). Women are the primary care takers for children because of their strong ability to be connected and bond well with others. Containing a larger limbic system also leaves a female more likely to become depressed. As stated in “Male-Female Difference”, women attempt suicide three times more than men, but men actually succeed three times more than women. This h...
BPD is a complex disorder in a sense that the symptoms such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse may cause a misdiagnosis thus overlooking BPD completely (Biskin & Paris, 2013). This personality disorder has also been known to occur simultaneously with anxiety disorders, eating disorders and bipolar mood disorders (Butcher, Mineka & Hooley, 2014). In addition, the prevalence of BPD decreases in older individuals (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
In turn, these expectations lead to men and women handling stress and negative situations differently, and the development of mental illness typically stems from there, with some genders being more prone to certain disorders than the other (“Gender and women’s health”). For example, common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are predominated by women, and are possibly brought on by socioeconomic disadvantage, income inequality, or a subordinate social rank. In comparison, males are more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol dependence and antisocial personality disorder, possibly due to pressure of being the prime provider for the family, or the expectation of internalizing any negative thoughts or emotions. However, not only are gender roles detrimental to mental health, they also have a negative effect on its diagnosis and treatment of men and women, further promoting the inequities. Gender bias has shown to be a strong factor in the treatment of psychological illnesses, and can often result in misdiagnoses. For example, according to the World Health Organization, even if both patients present identical symptoms, doctors are more likely to diagnose depression in a woman than a man (“Gender disparities in