Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental illness. It is a serious mental illness. It usually begins in teen age  or early 20s. Women suffer from borderline personality Disorder more than men.

Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder affects thoughts, emotions, feelings and behavior towards oneself and others also. It deteriorates the ability how you relate to others and how you behave.

Signs and symptoms may include:

– There is a fear of abandonment. Person tries to avoid real or imagined separation or rejection

– There is a pattern of unstable and intense relationships. Patient of borderline personality disorder idealized somebody at one moment and then suddenly believing the person doesn’t care enough or is cruel. So patient of borderline personality disorder is unable to make an accurate identity or image of his knowns.

– Patient of borderline personality disorder has unstable self-identity and self-image. Patient’s goals, values and belief system is unstable. Patient suffers from shifting self identity.

– There are transient periods of stress-related paranoia. In this time period person may behave with suspiciousness. Person becomes suspicious towards people around her. Person loses her contact with reality. This time period may last from a few minutes to a few hours.

– Patients of borderline personality disorder may behave impulsively. Patient may show risky behavior, such as unsafe sex, spending money, drug addiction, gambling, binge eating, reckless driving,  suddenly quitting a job or ending a positive relationship.

– Patient of borderline personality disorder may show suicidal threats or self-injury.

– Patient of borderline personality shows mood swings. Mood swings last from a few minutes to hours to few days. Mood swings can include happiness, aggression, irritability, shame, guilt or anxiety.

– Patient of borderline personality disorder has inner feelings of emptiness and a void in heart.

– Patient feels loneliness from inside.

– Patient shows inappropriate, intense anger like frequently losing temper, being sarcastic or bitter, or having physical assault.

– Patient of borderline personality disorder may have multiple sexual partners. Sometimes without any feelings patient indulges in sexual activities with new people.

Cause Of Borderline Personality Disorder:

There’s no exact known cause of borderline personality disorder. There are multiple hypothesis and researches about this. It is believed to be a combination of multiple factors. Some factors are endogenous to the brain and some environmental factors are also responsible.

Genetics:

Some patients are prone to develop borderline personality disorder due genes passed down through the family. External environmental factors can trigger it, such as history of physical or sexual abuse or neglect.

Patient with borderline personality disorder finds it hard to control emotions and behavior. Due difficulty in managing emotions and behavior it can cause unnecessary risks.

Patient may find it difficult to:

– Manage daily tasks at home

– Performance at work place

– Maintain relationships at home and work place.

Due to difficulty in managing emotions, mood, behavior and relationships borderline personality disorder can lead serious events like divorce, separation and distance from friends and family, and serious financial issues. Many patients are stuck into legal problems due their unmanaged emotions and behavior.

Most of the time borderline personality disorder isn’t an isolated mental health issue. Patient with borderline personality disorder are more likely to suffer from other mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and thoughts of suicide. Many patients start drugs, alcohol and gambling, which can add more problems.

When to see a Psychiatrist!!

If you’re aware that anyone is having any of the signs or symptoms above, talk to psychiatrist.

If anyone is suffering from suicidal thoughts or self harming fantasies or plans, get the help right away by taking one of these actions:

– Call the best Psychiatrist doctor. Be ready to get the patient admitted to Psychiatric hospital for patient’s safety.

– Reach out to a loved one, close friend, trusted peer or co-worker.

– Avoid superstitious faith healing by black magic or tantra-mantra etc.

Treatment Of Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder is usually treated by a combination of medications and psychotherapy. Psychiatrist doctor may recommend hospitalization if patient’s safety is at risk.

Treatment helps in learning new skills to manage stressful emotions and behavior. Psychiatric treatment is also necessary to treat other associated mental health problems like depression, anxiety and substance abuse, that often occur along with borderline personality disorder.

With treatment, you can feel better about yourself and live a more stable life. Treatment reduces self harming thoughts and make thoughts, emotions and behavior more sensible. Treatment reduces impulsive behavior also. Treatment of borderline personality disorder improves the ability to cope with stress.

It helps in maintaining stable, long-term and healthy relationships at home and work place. Treatment reduces episodes and severity of depression, anxiety, alcohol and substance abuse behavior. Overall quality of life improves.

Recovery time

As we know that it is a problem of personality. It is an unhealthy personality, so it becomes an illness and needs medical treatment by Psychiatrist.

Recovery takes time due multifaceted signs and symptoms. Generally a borderline personality patient is brought to a psychiatrist when the disease has progressed to moderate or severe.

Person with borderline personality disorder has to modify emotions, thoughts and behaviors, this task takes time. Because bringing changes in personality need regular supervised Psychiatric treatment.

Most patients improve considerably, their life becomes easier than before but may always struggle with some symptoms of borderline personality disorder. But treatment can improve ability to function and help you feel better.