Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious and disabling psychiatric disorder that affects approximately 2% of the general adult population. It is characterized by 4 groups of symptoms: extreme impulsiveness, mood instability, interpersonal problems, and identity disturbances.
Specifically, regarding the four groups of symptoms of people with BPD, this expert describes that high impulsivity can be related to self-harm, aggressiveness towards others, or compulsive shopping.
While emotional instability is characterized because they are people with roller-coaster experiences, where they can change their emotional state in a matter of seconds, often connecting with vital life circumstances, or with changes in internal mental states.
Thirdly, Identity alterations in people with borderline personality disorder, another group of symptoms related to a great emptiness existential, with a bad relationship with themselves, low self-esteem.
They are social chameleons, they are people with great power of self-criticism, many directors do not know what they are, they have feelings of loneliness, they stop feeling their emotions in a way protective, and many of them stop connecting with their being.
The fourth sign of BPD is related to the difficulties that these people have in maintaining intimate relationships and also at a superficial level, and that is closely related to fear of rejection, social anxiety, or mistrust.
In principle, there are already some manifestations during adolescence, “but not strictly from the concept of BPD, but from comorbidities such as behavioral disorders, drug abuse, eating disorders”; which does not mean, that all people who present behavior disorders, eating disorders or drug abuse during adolescence will develop BPD.
At the gender level, the clinical psychologist asks to differentiate between clinical and community samples. Specifically, at the level of mental health consultations, she cites that more women attend than men.
Gender determines how symptoms are manifested within heterogeneity, with men being more impulsive and at greater risk of committing antisocial acts, while in women, in principle, there is a greater difficulty with ties, these are more ambivalent, more of love and hate.
Empirical studies, with observation periods of 10 to 15 years, indicate that around a third no longer meet the diagnostic criteria after this time, and with a specific treatment of at least two years.
The 4 signs that can lead to suspicion of a borderline personality disorder
The doctor in psychology emphasizes that in a quarter of the patients it has been seen that, if these children already had a sensitive temperament, and then have been raised in normative environments, with a certain overprotective nuance, this has meant for them a “highly dangerous combination” that helps explain a quarter of BPD cases.
The treatment, as recommended, should be around 3-5 years, and should consist of individual therapy, it also says that group therapy is recommended, as well as pharmacological treatment, in addition to advice from social work, on legal issues in case there are to give these people a disability, or a sheltered job.