Post by Mea on Dec 16, 2015 7:37:50 GMT
What is Borderline Personality Disorder? At first, it was believed to be on the borderline of psychosis and neurosis, hence the name, but that has since been disproven and is now believed to exist on its own spectrum. BPD is often misdiagnosed as bipolar at first because of the similarities in depressive episodes and the severity of mood swings, although it is possible to have both disorders.
BPD consists of a number of symptoms including chronic feelings of emptiness, dissociative symptoms, impulsivity, rapid mood swings, low self-esteem, instability in goals and self-identity, instability in relationships, anxiety, anger, fear of abandonment, and suicide attempts and self-harm. About 80% of people with BPD will attempt suicide at least once in their life time. About 12% of those will succeed, making BPD the most life-threatening mental disorder after eating disorders.
There is no known cause for BPD, but there are theories. Many professionals believe it is a combination of nature and nurture. Most people with BPD have a family history of either BPD or other mental illnesses (such as bipolar), although it is also possible to have BPD despite having no family history of mental illness. Ultimately, it’s decided that someone with BPD always had a brain which had the potential to develop the disorder, but an event later in life triggered the symptoms, such as a trauma, although a trauma does not have to occur in order for BPD to develop. Many people with the disorder claim to have experienced symptoms at an early age, although the diagnosis is normally not made until one is 18 or older. BPD does not really make its presence known until later development because of the part of the brain it affects, but diagnoses can still be made in minors.
Many people with BPD come from abusive upbringings or suffered some form of abuse or trauma in their adolescence or adulthood. Most of them are also diagnosed with PTSD. Other common comorbid disorders include bipolar disorder, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and other personality disorders.
BPD consists of a number of symptoms including chronic feelings of emptiness, dissociative symptoms, impulsivity, rapid mood swings, low self-esteem, instability in goals and self-identity, instability in relationships, anxiety, anger, fear of abandonment, and suicide attempts and self-harm. About 80% of people with BPD will attempt suicide at least once in their life time. About 12% of those will succeed, making BPD the most life-threatening mental disorder after eating disorders.
There is no known cause for BPD, but there are theories. Many professionals believe it is a combination of nature and nurture. Most people with BPD have a family history of either BPD or other mental illnesses (such as bipolar), although it is also possible to have BPD despite having no family history of mental illness. Ultimately, it’s decided that someone with BPD always had a brain which had the potential to develop the disorder, but an event later in life triggered the symptoms, such as a trauma, although a trauma does not have to occur in order for BPD to develop. Many people with the disorder claim to have experienced symptoms at an early age, although the diagnosis is normally not made until one is 18 or older. BPD does not really make its presence known until later development because of the part of the brain it affects, but diagnoses can still be made in minors.
Many people with BPD come from abusive upbringings or suffered some form of abuse or trauma in their adolescence or adulthood. Most of them are also diagnosed with PTSD. Other common comorbid disorders include bipolar disorder, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and other personality disorders.
