Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?

It is a mental disorder that causes substantial emotional instability. Such can result in other traumatic behavioral and mental problems. People with borderline personality disorder:

Feel useless
Have a distorted self-image.
Perceived to be significantly flawed.

They yearn for affectionate relationships, though, their repeated mood swings, aggression and impulsiveness can resist others. Fortunately, there are several effective treatments for the people with borderline personality disorder that can help them lead normal lives.

What Are The Symptoms Of Borderline Personality Disorder?

The disorder affects the way how people feel about themselves, the way they behave and the way they relate to others.

Few common signs include:

Risky and impulsive behavior for example unsafe sex, drug use, risky driving etc.
Mood swings.
Suicidal behavior.
Episodes of depression or anxiety. These episodes tend to intense, though are short-timed.
Perceived to be hated by others.
Difficulty to control impulses and feelings.
Feeling neglected.
Unable to control and change destructive behavior, despite being aware of it.
Inappropriate aggression that can result into bodily fights.
Feeling misunderstood and hopeless.
Concerned of being alone.

What Causes Borderline Personality Disorder?

What causes borderline personality disorder is a mystery like the causes of other mental disorders. However as per the experts, it consequents from the combination of the below mentioned factors:

Genetics: according to some studies, personality disorders can be transmitted from families.
Environmental factors: most individuals with the disorder have a past of separation from a loved one, neglect and childhood abuse.
Brain abnormalities: according to research, changes in specific brain areas affect the regulation of aggression and emotion. Furthermore, some brain chemicals which help in the regulation of our mood may also not work correctly.

What Are The Risk Factors Of Borderline Personality Disorder?

Personality is created by experiences of childhood, environmental factors and inborn tendencies. Few factors related to the development of personality can raise the chances of contracting the disorder, such as:

Childhood abuse.
Neglect.
Hereditary predisposition.

Borderline personality disorder is more common in:

Young adults.
Adult women.

What Are The Complications Of Borderline Personality Disorder?

Clearly, borderline personality disorder can greatly affect your interpersonal skills, self-image and job. Self-injury can lead to frequent hospitalization, whereas suicidal rates in individuals with the disorder are also high.

How Is Borderline Personality Disorder Diagnosed?

To make a diagnosis, doctor can carry out or need the following:

A thorough interview.
Psychological evaluation.
Detailed medical history.
Details about the symptoms.

Diagnosis is often made in adults, as what seems to be the signs of borderline personality disorder in children, resolve as they become older and mature.