MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
November 24, 2009
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Health and Living Picture Image Collection MedTerms medical dictionary
Font Size
A
A
A

Borderline Personality Disorder (cont.)

Where to can I get more information on borderline personality disorder?

Borderline Personality Disorder Research Foundation
340 West 12th Street
New York, NY 10014
Phone: 212-421-5244
Fax: 212-421-5243
Email: BPDRF.USA@Verizon.net
Web site: http://www.borderlineresearch.org

Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center
New York Presbyterian Hospital -- Westchester Division
21 Bloomingdale Road
White Plains, NY 10605
Phone: 1-888-694-2273
Email: info@bpdresourcecenter.org
Web site: http://www.bpdresourcecenter.org/index.htm

Borderline Personality Disorder Resources.net
Web site: http://www.bpdresources.net

Borderline Personality Disorder Today
Web site: http://www.borderlinepersonalitytoday.com

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Colonial Place Three
2107 Wilson Boulevard Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
Phone: 1-800-950-NAMI 1-800-950-6264 hotline for help with depression
703-524-7600
Fax: 703-524-9094
TDD: 703-516-7227
Email: info@nami.org
Web site: http://www.nami.org

National Education Alliance for BPD
PO Box 974
Rye, New York 10580
Web site: http://www.neabpd.org

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
6001 Executive Boulevard
Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
Phone: 1-866-615-6464 toll-free
301-443-4513
Fax: 301-443-4279
TDD: 1-866-415-8051 toll-free
Email: nimhinfo@nih.gov
Web site: http://www.nimh.nih.gov

Borderline Personality Disorder At A Glance
  • Borderline personality disorder is a personality disorder characterized by consistently problematic ways of thinking, feeling, and interacting.
  • BPD is associated with unstable self-image, feelings, behaving, and relating to others.
  • BPD affects 6% of adults, men as often as women.
  • Antisocial personality disorder in adults, substance abuse problems in men, eating disorders in women, and anxious and odd personality disorders in adolescents tend to co-occur with BPD.
  • There has been some controversy about whether or not BPD is its own disorder or a variation of bipolar disorder, but in many countries, there is more agreement on the existence of BPD.
  • Like most other mental disorders, it is understood to be the result of a combination of biological vulnerabilities, ways of thinking, and social stressors (biopsychosocial model).
  • BPD sufferers are more likely to have a learning problem or certain temperaments as children, or to come from families of origin where divorce, neglect, sexual abuse, substance abuse, or death occurred.
  • In order to be diagnosed with BPD, the sufferer must experience at least five of the following symptoms: unstable self-image, relationships or emotions, severe impulsivity, repeated suicidal behaviors or threats, chronic feelings of emptiness, inappropriate anger, trouble managing anger, or transient paranoia or dissociation.
  • As with other mental disorders, there is no specific definitive test, like a blood test, to diagnose BPD. Therefore, practitioners conduct a mental-health interview that looks for the presence of the symptoms previously described and usually explore the person's history for any medical problem that may show symptoms of the disorder.
  • Psychotherapy approaches that have been helpful in treating BPD include dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, and psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
  • The use of psychiatric medications like antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics may be useful in addressing some of the symptoms of BPD but do not manage the illness in its entirety.
  • Partial hospitalization can help treat BPD by providing frequent supervision and assessment in a safe environment, while allowing the sufferer to go home each evening.
  • The presence of BPD tends to worsen the symptoms of other mental illnesses and increase the risk for self-mutilation, as well as for attempting or completing suicide.
  • People with BPD are at somewhat higher risk for engaging in violent behavior. That risk is further increased when the individual with BPD also is suffering from antisocial personality disorder, has a previous history of violent behavior, frequently uses sedative medications, or experiences several changes in their psychiatric medications.
  • How well or poorly people with BPD progress over time seems to be influenced by the severity of the symptoms, the individual's current personal relationships, as well as whether or not the sufferer has a history of being abused as a child.
  • Steady employment or school status once symptoms of BPD subside (remit) tends to protect BPD sufferers from experiencing a future relapse.

References:

Axelrod, S.R., Morgan, C.A., Southwick, S.M. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder in veterans of operation desert storm. American Journal of Psychiatry 162 Feb. 2005: 270-275.

Bateman, A., Fonagy, P. Treatment of borderline personality disorder with psychoanalytically oriented partial hospitalization: An 18-month follow-up. Focus 4 Spring 2006: 244-252.

Becker, D.F., Grilo, C.M., Edell, W.E., et al. Comorbidity of borderline personality disorder with other personality disorders in hospitalized adolescents and adults. American Journal of Psychiatry 157 Dec. 2000: 2011-2016.

Brown, M.Z., Comtois, K.A., Linehan, M.M. Reasons for suicide attempts and nonsuicidal self-injury in women with borderline personality disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 111.1 Feb. 2002: 198-202.

Brunton, J.N., Lacey, J.H., Waller, G.D. Narcissism and eating characteristics in young nonclinical women. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 193.2 Feb. 2005: 140-143.

Dolan, B., Warren, F., Norton, K. Change in borderline symptoms one year after therapeutic community treatment for severe personality disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry 171 (1997): 274-279.

Frankenburg, F.R., Zanarini, M.C. Divalproex sodium treatment of women with borderline personality disorder and bipolar II disorder: a double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 63.5 May 2002: 442-446.

Giesen-Bloo, J., van Dyck, R., Spinhoven, P., et al. Outpatient psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder: randomized trial of schema-focused therapy vs. transference-focused psychotherapy. Archives of General Psychiatry 63 (2006: 649-658.

Grant, B.F., Chou, S.P., Goldstein, R.B., et al. Prevalence, correlates, disability and comorbidity of DSM-IV borderline personality disorder: results from the Wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 69.4 Apr. 2008: 533-545.

Gunderson, J.G., Daversa, M.T., Grilo, C.M., McGlashan, T.H., et al. Predictors of 2-year outcome for patients with borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 163 May 2006: 822-826.

Harman, M.J. Children at-risk for borderline personality disorder. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy 34.3 Sept. 2004: 279-290.

Lis, E., Greenfield, B., Henry, M., Guile, J.M., Dougherty, G. Neuroimaging and genetics of borderline personality disorder: a review. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience 32.3 May 2007: 162-173.

Makela, E.H., Moeller, K.E., Fullen, J.E., Gunel, E. Medication utilization patterns and methods of suicidality in borderline personality disorder. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 40.1 (2006): 49-52.

Miller, A.L., Wyman, S.E., Huppert, J.D., et al. Analysis of behavioral skills utilized by suicidal adolescents receiving dialectical behavior therapy. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice 7.2 (2000): 183-187.

Nath, S., Patra, D.K., Biswas, S., Mallick, A.K., Bandyopadhyay, G.K., Ghosh, S. Comparative study of personality disorder associated with deliberate self harm in two different age groups (15-24 years and 45-74 years). Indian J Psychiatry 50 (2008): 177-80.

Oldham, J.M. Borderline personality disorder: an overview. Psychiatric Times 21.8 July 2004.

Oldham, J.M. Borderline personality disorder comes of age. American Journal of Psychiatry 166 May 2009: 509-511.

Oumaya, M., Friedman, S., Pham, A., et al. Borderline personality disorder, self-mutilation and suicide: literature review. Encephale 34.5 Oct 2008: 452-458.

Quigley, B.D. Diagnostic Relapse in Borderline Personality Disorder: risk and protective factors. 2003 August Doctoral dissertation, Texas A & M University. http://handle.tamu.edu/1969.1/1237.

Rohde, P., Lewinsohn, P.M., Kahler, C.W., Seeley, J.R., Brown, R.A. Natural course of alcohol use disorders from adolescence to young adulthood. Psychiatry 40.1 Jan. 2001: 83-90.

Soliman, A.E., Reza, H. Risk factors and correlates of violence among acutely ill adult psychiatric inpatients. Psychiatric Services 52 Jan. 2001: 75-80.

Soloff, P.H., Lynch, K.G., Kelly, T.M., Malone, K.M., Mann, J.J. Characteristics of suicide attempts of patients with major depressive episode and borderline personality disorder: a comparative study. American Journal of Psychiatry 157 Apr. 2000: 601-608.

Stone, M.H. Relationship of borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 163 July 2006: 1126-1128.

van Asselt, A.D.I., Dirksen, C.D., Arntz, A., et al. Out-patient psychotherapy for borderline personality disorder: cost-effectiveness of schema-focused therapy v. transference-focused psychotherapy. The British Journal of Psychiatry 192 (2008): 450-457.

Winston, A.P. Recent developments in borderline personality disorder. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 6 (2000): 211-217.

World Health Organization. Tenth revision of the international classification of disease, chapter V(F): mental and behavior disorders. Diagnosis criteria for research. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1993: 162-163.

Zanarini, M.C., Frankenburg, F.R., Dubo, E.D., et al. Axis I comorbidity of borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 155.12 Dec. 1998: 1733-1739.

Zanarini, M.C., Williams, A.A., Lewis, R.E., et al. Reported pathological childhood experiences associated with the development of borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 154 (1997): 1101-1106.

Zhong, J., Leung, F. Should borderline personality disorder be included in the fourth edition of the Chinese classification of mental disorders? Chinese Medical Journal 120.1 (2007): 77-82.


Last Editorial Review: 9/21/2009




Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • valproic acid, divalproex, Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene, Depacon - Read about valproic acid, divalproex (Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene, Depacon) a drug prescribed to treat convulsions, seizures, migraine headache, and bipolar disorder.
  • Psychotherapy - Mental Health: Psychotherapy To Treat Depressionin teens and adults
  • Anxiety - Read about anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder, GAD) causes, physical symptoms and signs, medications and treatment. Learn about symptoms (worry, fear) and other types of anxiety disorders.

Latest Medical News



Emotional Wellness

Get tips on therapy and treatment.


Are you Depressed? Take the Quiz

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain












Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Health & Living | News & Views | Medical Dictionary

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Cancer | Diabetes | Digestion | Healthy Kids | Heart | Men's Health | Mental Health | Women's Health | More...

Publications:

ePublications (PDFs) | XML News via RSS | Audio Podcasts | Email Newsletters

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2009 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.