Borderline Personality Disorder Paper

What is Borderline Personality Disorder? Defined by the website www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.com, “Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness that causes unstable moods, behavior, and relationships. It usually begins during adolescence or early adulthood.” One may wonder what can be the cause of this disorder. BPD can be detected by an in-person interview about the symptoms that are occurring. The input from family and close friends of the individual that is being treated can also help detect the symptoms. The causes for BPD are not fully

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental disorder that often causes problems with emotional stability, relationships with friends or family, and poor self images (Nairne, 2014). Emotional dysregulation is a person’s inability to control their emotions for example; a person will be happy for a period of time and then suddenly burst out into uncontrollable anger. People with BPD have a difficult time maintaining relationships and jobs because those sudden mood swings drive people away; as a result they are often lonely. The poor self image is also a very important part of the disorder because it drives people to do something they wouldn’t normally do. There have been advances to change the name of BPD to Emotion dysregulation

The use of the term borderline has however, resulted in a heated controversy between the health care fraternity and patients. Patients argue that this term appears to be somehow discriminatory and that it should be removed and the disorder renamed. Patients point out that an alternative name, such as emotionally unstable personality disorder, should be adopted instead of borderline personality disorder. Clinicians, on the other hand, argue that there is nothing wrong with the use of the term borderline. Opponents of this term argue that the terms used to describe persons suffering from this disorder, such as demanding, treatment resistant, and difficult among others, are discriminatory. These terms may create a negative feeling of health professionals towards patients, an aspect that may lead to adoption of negative responses that may trigger self-destructive behavior (Giesen-Bloo et al, 2006). The fact however, is that the term borderline has been misunderstood and misused so much that any attempt to redefine it is pointless leaving scrapping the term as the only option.

A personality disorder is characterized by a distinct pattern of behavior that does not meet normal standards of behavior within one’s culture. This pattern is ingrained as the norm to the person affected, and the characteristics of the affected person deviate markedly from societal standards (Hebblethwaite, 2009). The two main features that help to identify a personality disorder are chronic interpersonal difficulties and persons with one’s identity or sense of self (Livesly, 2001). Within this set of mental health disorders lie several other subsets, including one of the most prominent personality disorders - Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). BPD is a severe, long-lasting disorder that has an incidence of occurrence approximately equal to that of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia combined (Grant, Chou, Goldstein et al., 2008). BPD also puts those affected at risk for damage in many areas of their life if not properly diagnosed and treated, including personal relationships, school, work, and self-imagine. Furthermore, this disorder has a high co-morbidity with other disorders such as depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, and social phobia, among many more (Hebblethwaite, 2009). Misdiagnosis of borderline personality disorder can have serious clinical implications. This paper looks to identify the risk factors associated with BPD, the affects on various aspects of the person’s life, treatments, and give recommendations as to how to properly identify and

“The essential feature of borderline personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts” (APA, 2013; p. 663). The DSM-5 further elucidates this definition with nine criteria, five or more of which must be present for an individual to receive a diagnosis of BPD. These nine criteria can effectively be grouped into symptoms relating to affect, impulsivity, suicidality, interpersonal relationships, and cognition (Cartwright,

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders(DSM-5,2013), "Borderline Personality Disorder (301.83) is a pervasive pattern of volatility of interpersonal relations, self image, and affect, and marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of context" (p. 663). Concurrent disorders associated with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are depressive and bipolar disorders and substance use disorders, eating disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders. BPD also commonly co-occurs with other personality disorders. These disorders have a high co-morbidity. The incidence of BPD

The main feature of borderline personality disorder is the pervasive pattern of unstable relationships, self-image, and impulsiveness. Borderline personality disorder begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of situations. A person with borderline personality disorder will make major efforts to avoid any situation of abandonment. There are many symptoms that go along with having borderline personality disorder. Some examples would include: intense fears of abandonment, intense anger and irritability, impulsive and risky behavior, and wide mood swings. Self-harm, suicidal behavior and substance intoxication are very common in people with borderline personality disorder. A person with BPD experiences emotions in different ways than

4) Gunderson, J. G. (2011). Borderline personality disorder. The New England Journal of Medicine, 364(21), 2037-2042. Retrieved from https://ez.salem.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/869106178?accountid=13657

Borderline personality disorder is a personality disorder that has just recently become recognized. Borderline disorder is characterized by impulsive actions, instability in daily life and relationships, and negative self-image. Other signs and symptoms of the disorder include self-harm, emotion dysregulation, and suicidal ideation. The literature was reviewed to find the relationship between substance use and borderline personality disorder, and the best type of treatment for those with borderline personality disorder and substance use. Research has reported that impulsive behaviors may be one of the

Abstract: This paper will discuss the causes and psychological impact of borderline personality disorder. It will also talk about how to treat those impacted by borderline personality disorder.

“Personality disorders have been documented in approximately 9 percent of the general U.S. population” (Angstman, Rasmussen, 2011). Emotional dysregulation disorder or its common name borderline personality disorder is a very serious and chronic disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) describes borderline personality disorder as “a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts” (Gardner, 2006). Within the last 20 years, psychologists and other mental health professionals have made tremendous strides in research on what exactly borderline personality disorder, some of its triggers and possible effective treatment options. Borderline personality disorder is defined as a disorder that generates severe emotional instability which can be a springboard that can lead to other stress induced mental and behavioral problems.

Though several personality disorders are highly complex and a challenge to treat, there are effective treatments available (“Treating Borderline” 1). The various treatments are broken down by method, the first of which being cognitive behavioral therapy, which attempts to alter the conscious thoughts and behavioral patterns of patients (Daniel); (“Treating Borderline” 2). Cognitive behavior therapy itself is broken down into two therapies, dialectical behavioral therapy and schema-focused therapy (“Treating Borderline” 2). Dialectical behavioral therapy, developed by Dr. Linehan, is centered on the basis that personality disorders are formed when hypersensitive patients are in situations which lack the emotional support they require, therefore leading to their “inability to regulate emotions” (“Treating Borderline” 2). Thus, the treatment serves to help the patient gain control over their emotion and behavior (“Treating Borderline” 2). The treatment itself consists of group and individual sessions and typically lasts approximately one year (“Treating Borderline” 2). During the group sessions, patients learn to become more aware of their behaviors and emotions through sessions pertaining to “problem solving, mindfulness meditation, and breath training“(“Treating Borderline” 2). In personal sessions, referred to as psychotherapy, the psychiatrist explains to the patient how the lessons from the group therapy sessions are applicable

Assessment of the patient with borderline personality disorder is inclusive of the patient's: (1) physical; (2) emotional; (3) cognitive; (4) social; and (5) spiritual characteristics. These are assessed based on the patient's: (1) subjective reports; (2) interview records; and (3) behavioral

The history of BPD can be traced back to 1938 when Adolph Stern first described the symptoms of the disorder as neither being psychotic nor psychoneurotic; hence, the term ‘borderline’ was introduced (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15). Then in 1960, Otto Kernberg coined the term ‘borderline personality organization’ to describe persistent patterns of behavior and functioning consisting of instability, and distressed psychological self-organization (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15).

Over the past few units, I have greatly expanded my knowledge about several different psychological topics. Though many of the topics that were discussed sparked my interest, there were two types of disorders that furthered my knowledge, but also eliminated some stereotypes that I had about them. The two main areas that I learned more about regarding these disorders were characteristics of the disorders and different methods of treatment. A common theme that has been discussed in multiple different units is that several psychological disorders can have similar symptoms and characteristics. It is crucial to understand what makes one psychological disorder different than another one. Determining what type of disorders an individual might have can lead to better and more accurate treatment options; treatments methods are important because they help individuals manage their disorders. The two disorders that I found to be the most important and most interesting are borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia.