What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

After three sessions of therapy, my therapist told me she spoke to her colleagues about my case, including her mentor and a psychiatrist she works closely with. After discussing my case, she informed me I was diagnosed by both of them with having Borderline Personality Disorder.

Right after hearing this, I felt dreadful. Borderline Personality Disorder? I remember being taught about this in my Psychology class during high school, but I never believed I would be diagnosed with it. I just assumed I had many different mental illnesses that could be treated on their own, not an entire personality disorder!

As my therapist read the symptoms to me, I became more worried. It made sense, it truly did. All of the symptoms felt like they attached to me in their own unique ways. All throughout my life I have been treated in such wretched ways by the people I believed cared or loved me, but I have been proven otherwise for my entire life. To read the story of my life and how I have been treated, you can read my other publication.

After learning about the Disorder and how it related to me, I decided to do more research. This was especially the case since my therapist told me she needed to find a Specialist that I would transfer to. This Disorder is... complicated and dangerous. So...

What is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)?

First, it is time to take a dive into what a Personality Disorder is.

A person's personality is their way of thinking, of feeling, and of behaving. Everyone's personality is different from any other individual. Personalities are never the same because every human being has different experiences, different environments, different inherited characteristics, genetics, and the like. According to psychiatry.org, a Personality Disorder is a long-term pattern of behavior and inner experiences that differ from the norm. A Personality Disorder has the ability to cause distress and/or problems in functioning. If an individual goes without treatment, Personality Disorders can be long-lasting.

There are three "clusters" of Personality Disorders. According to mayoclinic.org, Cluster A "are characterized by odd, eccentric thinking or behavior" and they include paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal. Cluster B "are characterized by dramatic, overly emotional or unpredictable thinking or behavior." Cluster B includes antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic. Cluster C "are characterized by anxious, fearful thinking or behavior." This Cluster includes avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive.

The Cluster we will be looking at is Cluster B, specifically into Borderline Personality Disorder. According to mayoclinic.org, the symptoms of this Personality Disorder are...

• Impulsive and risky behavior.
• Unstable or fragile self-image.
• Unstable and intense relationships.
• Up and down moods, often as a reaction to interpersonal stress.
• Suicidal behavior or threats of self-injury.
• Intense fear of being alone or abandoned.
• Ongoing feelings of emptiness.
• Frequent, intense displays of anger.
• Stress-related paranoia that comes and goes.

Are there causes to Borderline Personality Disorder?

Yes, there are. However, the causes are not fully understood. Once more, however, scientists have agreed that BPD can result from a combination of multiple factors. According to nami.org, these are the possible accumulation of causes:

The first is genetics. There is not a specific gene or gene profile that has been shown to cause BPD, but research shows that someone who has a close family member/relative who has been diagnosed with BPD are at a higher risk of developing the disorder.

The second is environmental factors. People who experience traumatic life events are at an increased risk of developing BPD. These traumatic experiences could include physical or sexual abuse during childhood or neglect and separation from parents.

The third is brain function. The emotional regulation system could be difficult in some people with BPD. If this is the case, it could mean there is a neurological basis for some of the symptoms. What this means is that since people diagnosed with BPD may have different ways of processing emotions, these processes could result in negative results. The specific portions of the brain would be the parts that control emotions and decision-making/judgment. These portions of the brain may not communicate efficiently with one another -- this could result in some symptoms BPD has.

What are the statistics of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)?

So, knowing what Borderline Personality Disorder is and the possible causes of this disorder, what are the statistics?

According to nami.org, only about 1.4% of the adult U.S. population experiences BPD. Although 75% of people diagnosed with BPD are woman, it has been discovered that men may be as equally affected by BPD, but they are commonly misdiagnosed with either PTSD or depression. However, according to therecoveryvillage.com, the number of people with BPD may actually be higher: around 5.9%. This is based on Borderline Personality Disorder demographics.

According to verywellmind.com, about 70% of people diagnosed with BPD will or have made at least one suicide attempt in their lifetimes. A very saddening statistic is that between 8-10% of people diagnosed with BPD will complete suicide. This rate is 50 times the rate of the general population.

Borderline Personality Disorder also co-occurs with other disorders. According to therecoveryvillage.com, it can co-occur with BPD and Bipolar, BPD and Suicide, and BPD and Trauma. Technically, we have already looked at two of these, so we can focus on BPD and Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder combined with anything, and even on its own, can make life severe and unpredictable. One of the symptoms of BPD is intense emotions, the inability to regulate emotions. Combined with Bipolar Disorder, this can make these emotions and the regulation more extreme. If an individual is diagnosed with both BPD and Bipolar Disorder, they should be addressed and treated with their own methods, separately.

Substance abuse is also a huge risk with any mental health condition, and BPD is no exception. People who are diagnosed with BPD are known to have feelings of emptiness and disconnect. This may mean they are more likely to begin using substances to cope with these feelings. According to addictioncenter.com, studies have shown that 50% of people who are diagnosed with BPD have a history of prescription drug use. It is known that people who have an addiction use these substances to cope, but they feel worse afterwards. Their situations, their emptiness, their sadness remains unchanged.

When BPD co-occurs with an addiction of any kind, both of the effects are magnified. The impulsive behaviors, the destructive behaviors, the mood swings, the depression, the lack of concern for one's safety and health, the instability -- all of these symptoms can worsen.

In a large study involving 290 patients over the span of 24 years (you can find an article relating to it here and the study here), more patients with BPD died by suicide than patients with any other Personality Disorder, the percentages being 5.9% to 1.4% respectively. Rates of death from other causes were, once again, higher in patients with BPD compared to other patients, 14% to 5.5% respectively.

Of course, this is not all of the statistics on Borderline Personality Disorder, but if you want to continue your research on it, feel free! Being informed is very important when it comes to mental health and mental disorders.

Now, to look at the statistics involving treatment.

There is no singular way to treat BPD, nor are any of these methods definitively going to work! BPD can be very difficult to treat, even in therapy. Individuals who have BPD "exhibit chronic, pervasive problems getting along with people in all kinds of different contexts...and this includes therapists" (avalonmalibu.com). Nowhere is safe for people with BPD to discuss what they are experiencing; There is no safe location someone diagnosed with BPD can speak without possibly hurting or even triggering themselves.

From personal experience, when my therapist brings up certain stories I have confided, there are many memories that pop up and affect me. I re-feel, I re-experience the intense emotions I felt in those moments, and I feel no safety with myself. Isn't that insane? I cannot even feel safe with myself!

The American Psychological Association states that people diagnosed with BPD, although they may be quick to open up to their therapist, they may also shut down just as quickly, or even faster. The APA also states that people with BPD seek out treatment often, but they also tend to leave therapy. It's suggested that it may be because they can be triggered easily while in therapy. Once triggered, it is difficult to regulate one's emotions and efficiently work with their therapist.

According to therecoveryvillage.com, follow-up studies of people diagnosed with BPD who received treatment showed there was only a 50% success rate over a 10-year period of time. Even though these people have reached out and sought therapy, only 50% of these people have successfully found some sort of peace within themselves.

The Conclusion

There are many treatments and types of therapies people who are diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder can seek out. To have knowledge about this Personality Disorder is extremely important. It is defined as being one of the most painful mental illnesses to have because studies have shown that patients diagnosed with BPD experience chronic and emotional suffering and mental agony.

Although BPD is the most "difficult" to treat, someone who is diagnosed should still seek help. Seeking even the smallest amount of professional help is better than none.

If you know someone who has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, understand: it may be a rocky and stormy relationship. But, also understand that they cannot help it. People with BPD are suffering on the inside, so, please make sure to help them as much as you can, even if it is giving some company or some validation.