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Signs & Symptoms Of Borderline Personality Disorder

Here is a article about the signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Despite having a name that seems to trivializes it, BPD is one of the most common and aggressive mental health conditions. It is a pattern of ongoing instability in behavior, mood, and emotions. Nearly everyone in the world likely knows and regularly interacts with someone who has it.

Medical professionals estimate that, in any given year, roughly 1.6% of the population is suffering from this condition. In general, it is three times as likely to be diagnosed in women than in men, especially among women in their twenties and thirties.

People with this issue often experience;

  • anger
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • fear
  • giddiness
  • detachment

These episodes can last for as short as a few hours to as long as a few days. They tend to spur impulsive behavior that interferes with social relationships and may cause harm to self or others.

  • It is often associated with substance abuse, eating disorders, and self-harm.

Recurring episodes create a mental state where the person either engages in that behavior to stave off their suffering or fails to recognize the risks and harm.

  • The risk of self-harm is particularly acute. Roughly 10% of people will commit suicide every year.

The most visible sign is a person’s inability to regulate emotions which then leads to:

  • Severe mood swings
  • Impulsivity
  • Poor decision-making
  • Low self-esteem/fractured self-image
  • Manipulative behaviors
  • Fear of abandonment
  • Dependency on others to satisfy their needs
  • Blaming others for their problems
  • Demanding immediate attention and gratification from others
  • Engaging in self-harming behavior
  • Moving from one unstable relationship to another
  • Frequently attempting suicide

Medical professionals diagnose it on the symptoms mentioned above. They partially align with other mental conditions. A medical exam is required to identify the causal relationships of this condition.

  • Take an online borderline personality BPD Test

Additionally, there is a genetic component. If a person has a relative with this condition, they are five times as likely to suffer from it. It usually doesn’t develop until early adulthood. If similar symptoms appear before that time, it is due to some other mental issue at work.

Researchers believe the genetic component is the result of longitudinal twin studies. Also, people experiencing physical, emotional, or sexual trauma during childhood are at high risk of suffering this condition.

Electrophysiological studies further indicate those people diagnosed have brain abnormalities. These abnormalities in specific brain structures involve memory, mood regulation, decision-making, and reward anticipation.

It is a bit unusual in one specific way. Unlike most other mental disorders, it rarely lasts for a lifetime. Close to half of all people recover within ten years, and it is scarce among older individuals. Much of treatment focuses on quashing the symptoms until the disorder naturally ceases to be problematic.

Therapy, both one-on-one and in groups, is the primary treatment. Dialectical behavior therapy, in particular, is one of the most effective options for preventing patients from engaging in suicide or other types of self-harm, which is the most significant threat.

Additionally, cognitive behavioral therapy has shown significant success in helping patients minimize the effects of episodes of emotional instability. While this doesn’t technically speed up recovery, it can effectively allow the patient to live relatively everyday life as attacks become milder and more sporadic.

  • Since many adults diagnosed with this disorder have a substance abuse disorder fortified by the rigidity of thought and behavior, psychologists consider it one of the most challenging disorders to treat.

Instead, the Systemic Intervention Model helps those with addiction. It involves the interventionist and family members meeting to discuss whether anyone is enabling the person with addiction by providing money, food, transportation, clothes, etc. It is a solution-focused treatment because it emphasizes rectifying co-dependent behaviors facilitating the BPD-diagnosed individual’s self-destructive lifestyle.

Finally, while not particularly effective, prescription medication can help other resulting disorders and minimize symptoms like depression.

Famous people who may have had it;

  • Beethoven
  • Winston Churchill
  • Princess Diana
  • Adolf Hitler
  • Marilyn Monroe
  • Mike Wallace
  • Amy Winehouse
  • Lindsay Lohan

Movies

  • Girl Interrupted
  • Sunset Boulevard
  • Play Misty For Me
  • Fatal Attraction
  • Single White Female
  • Leave Her to Heaven
  • Welcome to Me
  • Borderline
  • Malicious

According to clinical studies, the prevalence of personality disorders with alcoholism ranges from as low as 22-40% to 58-78%.

  • Impulsivity is considered the primary reason why so many people with it become substance abusers.
  • Nearly 60 percent of adults with it will experience substance abuse or behavioral disorder at some point in their lives.

The vital need to be accepted and loved by others also plays a crucial role in the link with addiction since addicts tend to retain a wide circle of so-called friends of like behavior. Unfortunately, these relationships require obtaining and using drugs, which only reinforces and perpetuates symptoms and consequences.

Other mental disorders