Borderline Personality Disorder Overview

Borderline personality disorder is a psychological condition that can cause impulsive behavior, intense mood swings and severe self worth perception and relationship problems. There can also be turbulent or unstable emotions. These disturbing emotions can be related to feelings which are associated regarding the self in relation to other people. The people who suffer from this mental condition can also have other problems such as eating disorders, substance abuse and depression. Disturbances in personality function occur in BPD and can have a prolonged duration. Depth and mood swings can characterize these disturbances.

The signs of this disorder can begin to show themselves in the childhood days. The main problems of the disease appear in early adulthood. Getting better can require a number of years and the treatment period can be difficult as well. The treatment takes time because the emotional and behavioral problems can be difficult to alter. The treatment can make the people’s lives better over time and yield positive results.

Borderline personality disorder can be found in 2 out of 100 people. The real cause of the disease is still not clear to the experts. The causes of BPD can be the problems that are associated with neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that are found in human brain. BPD is also known to occur in families and can have a genetic basis as well. Other causes can be childhood trauma and abuse, and the loss of a caregiver or parent. People with borderline personality disorder can show the symptoms of low self esteem, unstable relationships and other problems of impulsive behavior. These symptoms can be exhibited in the early adulthood time period.

Experts have not been able to find any way of preventing borderline personality disorder but the relapsing or returning of BPD symptoms can be prevented by regularly taking the prescription medicines and undergoing the required counseling sessions.

The disease can be diagnosed by the clinical social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse by conducting an interview and by discussing the symptoms. The level of emotions in the responses can provide a clue to the diagnosis of the disease.

The initial treatment of BPD can depend on its severity. A professional counseling session or psychotherapy can be conducted at the start of the treatment. The therapy intends to improve the suicidal, destructive or self destructive behavior. Other kinds of counseling include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, psychodynamic therapy, family therapy and support group therapy. For managing the stress and anxiety, the patient may be asked to get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, undertake regular exercises, avoid alcohol, illegal drugs and non-prescription medicines, build strong social support and avoid major life decisions when the patient is feeling depressed, angry or anxious. The medicines that are prescribed during BPD treatment include antidepressants, mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics.

The patients can undergo long term counseling session and the treatment can be tough and can continue for a long time period. The treatment of BPD can get even harder if the patient has other associated diseases like eating disorders and depression. The diagnostic tests for BPD include verbal or written tests, questions relating to the medical history and physical exams which can be carried out by the doctor or heath care provider. The doctor can also carry out a mental health assessment by conducting an interview. The symptoms can also give a clue about the presence of other mental health conditions as well.