Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Borderline Personality Disorder is a condition characterised by difficulty controlling emotions, impulses and difficulty maintaining or establishing relationships. It has a huge impact on day-to-day functioning.
People with the borderline personality disorder struggle with troubled thoughts and beliefs about themselves and other people giving them a skewed view about themselves and the world. In most people, symptoms begin during teenage years or as a young adult and they tend to improve during adult life.
Cause could be genetic, traumatic experience in childhood, abusive childhood, life problems while growing up.
Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and signs
Impulsivity, agitation, irritability, chronic self-harm thoughts and behaviour, low mood, fear of abandonment, suicidal behaviour, core feelings of emptiness, insecure in relationships, being paranoid, anxiety, fluctuating between feelings of intense attachment to extreme hatred within relationships, extreme possessiveness, anxiety.
Diagnosis is established based on a comprehensive assessment which involves taking a detailed history and is seen by a psychiatrist after a referral is made by the GP.
This involves a series of clinical reviews where comprehensive history is taken, observing patient’s behaviour and obtaining some collateral information.
Complications include problems with social interaction, communication and behaviour which can lead to difficulties in establishing friendships, employment difficulties, struggling to live independently, social isolation, stressful daily life, being harassed and bullied, legal issues, frequent self-harm behaviours and attempted suicides, use of drug and alcohol, breakdown of relationships.
Early diagnosis and treatment helps in improving the quality of life and reducing the intensity of symptoms. It tends to improve with time and symptoms tend to fade as one approaches their 40’s.
Treatments include
- Psychology
- and in certain cases medication to control associated symptoms.
Compliance with treatment, establishing good sleep hygiene, engaging with your psychiatrist, understanding your illness, avoidance of drugs and alcohol will all go a long way in maintaining positive health and improve quality of life. In some very severe cases, the above will help in reducing the intensity and frequency of symptoms.
