Borderline Personality Disorder (cont.)
What are the complications of borderline personality disorder?
The presence of BPD can often influence, usually worsening, the course of
another mental condition with which it occurs. For example, it tends to change
the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and to worsen depression.
Individuals with BPD are at risk for self-mutilation, as well as for
attempting or completing suicide. While both self-mutilating and suicidal
behaviors seem to be associated with alleviating negative feelings, it is
thought that self-mutilating behaviors are more an expression of anger,
punishing oneself, distracting oneself, and eliciting more normal feelings. In
contrast, suicide attempts are thought to be more often associated with feeling
survivors will be better off for their death.
People who engage in self-mutilation are more likely to commit suicide compared
to those who do not self-mutilate.
Although most individuals with a mental disorder do not engage in violent
behavior, those who suffer from BPD have a somewhat increased risk for such
behaviors. That risk is also increased for individuals who suffer from
antisocial personality disorder, have previous history of violent behavior,
frequent use of sedative medications, or experience several changes in their
psychiatric medications in general.
What is the prognosis of people with borderline personality disorder?
Overall, how well or poorly people with BPD progress over time seems to be influenced by how severe the disorder is at the time that treatment starts, the state of the individual's current personal relationships, as well as whether or not the sufferer has a history of being abused as a child. Simultaneously suffering from depression, other emotional problems, or a low level of conscientiousness has been found to be associated with a greater likelihood of symptoms of BPD to return (relapse). Conversely, having steady employment or school status once symptoms of BPD subside (remit) tends to protect BPD sufferers from experiencing a future relapse.
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