Symptoms and Medication

Definition

What is borderline personality disorder?

Borderline personality disorder is a psychological condition in which a person has difficulty controlling their emotions. This condition, also known as borderline personality disorder, is generally characterized by changes mood sudden, insecure, and difficult social relationships.

Borderline personality disorder is a disorder that can make sufferers almost always feel worried, inferior (inferior), and fearful.

It is natural for you to feel anxious when you are about to make important decisions. However, if you continue to feel this way even when there are no clear triggers, it could be that what you are experiencing is a symptom of borderline personality disorder.

Imagine a time when you were with your family. Your family is having a fun chat, laughing out loud. Suddenly you just feel sad and confused, why can’t you just enjoy the atmosphere like everyone else? Eventually, you blame and hate yourself.

Another example, when you and a friend have made an appointment to watch a movie together at the cinema. Unfortunately, your friend canceled the promise.

Even if your friend canceled because she had something important to do, you can’t control the negative thought that she’s actually canceling because she doesn’t want to go out with you.

Such thoughts are what end up making you feel so empty and hopeless. It’s as if you are alone in this world and no one understands how you feel.

However, on the other hand you also feel flooded by various kinds of mixed negative emotions. When these feelings arise, you can explode out of control.

How common is this condition?

Borderline personality disorder is a condition that can affect anyone. This disease can occur at any age level.

You can limit your chances of getting this disease by reducing your risk factors. Please consult your doctor for more information.

Signs & symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder?

Based on National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2009, a person could be said to have borderline personality disorder if they exhibited five or more of the symptoms below. Symptoms of borderline personality disorder are:

Have emotions unstable ones, for example feeling very confident one day, but feeling very hopeless the next. Change mood the unstable is also accompanied by a feeling of emptiness and with anger.
Often times find it difficult to establish and maintain a relationship.
Often take action without thinking about the risk of the action.
Have a sense of dependence on other people.
Doing actions that may harm yourself, or thinking and planning actions that are harmful to yourself.
Have a fear of rejection or anxieties about loneliness
Often believe things that aren’t real or see or hear things that aren’t real.

Other personality disorders, such as anxiety, eating disorders (such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia) or dependence on alcohol and drugs are conditions that can be experienced by someone with borderline personality disorder.

There may be signs or symptoms not listed above. If you have any concerns about your symptoms, please consult your doctor.

When should I see a doctor?

You should consult your doctor as soon as possible if you feel stressed, frustrated or have the desire to hurt yourself or even others. If you procrastinate, you risk losing the best time to get treatment

Cause

What causes borderline personality disorder?

Until now, experts have not been able to determine the exact cause of this personality disorder. However, experts believe that genetic, psychological, and social factors such as a history of abuse or abuse experienced as a child are linked to the occurrence of this personality disorder.

In addition, threshold personality disorder will generally worsen if accompanied by other neurological disorders such as depression, anxiety, drug use and disturbed moods.

Risk factors

What increases my risk for developing this condition?

People who experience violence, abuse, or are neglected are often more prone to this personality disorder than the average person.

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, several factors related to personality development can increase the risk of borderline personality disorder. Risk factors for borderline personality disorder are:

Heredity. You may be at higher risk if close relatives, such as your mother, father, siblings, have a similar neglect.
A stressful childhood. Some people with this condition are victims of sexual or physical abuse, or were neglected during childhood.

If you do not have the risk factors above, it does not mean you will not have this disorder.

These factors are general in nature and are only used as a reference. Please consult a specialist doctor for more detailed information.

Drugs & Medicines

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

What are my treatment options for borderline personality disorder?

Treatment of borderline personality disorder is psychological therapy combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. Psychotherapy can also be done by a psychiatrist. The goals of borderline personality disorder treatment are to reduce symptoms and behavior changes and strengthen relationships with the patient’s family, friends and colleagues.

Counseling psychotherapy with a psychologist or therapist can help those with borderline personalities. Psychotherapy can be done twice a week.

The goal of psychotherapy is to reduce life-threatening actions, help regulate emotions, provide motivation and help improve quality of life. Psychotherapy can be done both individually and in groups.

Based on research conducted in journals Primary Psychiatry, those who underwent psychotherapy had a good progress rate in establishing social relationships, refrained from impulsivity and danger, and controlled their emotions after six months.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses more on the specific ways of thinking that the symptoms of the disorder appear in patients. Cognitive therapy is used to break the link between work-induced stress and the patient’s mental response to it. The doctor will combine the two types of therapy to stop the disturbance in the patient.

Several drugs prescribed by the doctor will help the patient control the stimuli that occur and shorten cases of neurosis (eg hallucinations, delusions), help maintain mood, also reduce the symptoms of sudden mood swings and depression.

What are the usual tests for this condition?

The psychiatrist will make a diagnosis based on the threshold personality disorder symptoms listed above. If you have any of these symptoms, your doctor will roll out a medical diagnosis and will thus assist you in selecting and setting a therapy schedule.

Diagnosis for this condition is usually made in adulthood, not as a child or adolescent. This is because the symptoms that arise as children may disappear over time, when they begin to think maturely.

Home remedies

What are some lifestyle changes or home remedies that can be used to treat borderline personality disorder?

There are a few tips for people with borderline personality disorder to feel better and in control. The following tips are ways you can do when the symptoms of borderline personality disorder recur.

Physical activity such as dancing, walking, exercising, cleaning the house, or other activities to distract from the current emotions.
Playing music can help improve mood. Play some fun music when you’re sad, or play some soothing music when you’re feeling anxious.
Talk and tell stories with someone you trust.
Do meditation.
Do breathing exercises to relax. Sit or lie down in a quiet place, then breathe in calmly, slowly, and deeply.
Get enough sleep and rest.
Read an interesting book.
Recognize and manage every emotion that arises, for example by keeping a diary.
Take a warm shower, especially before bed if you also have insomnia.

If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.

Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Ferri, F. F. (2012). Ferri’s Netter Patient Advisor E-Book. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Health Sciences.

NIMH »Borderline Personality Disorder. (2020). Retrieved 28 September 2021, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder/index.shtml

Borderline Personality Disorder | Psychology Today. (2020). Retrieved 12 March 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/conditions/borderline-personality-disorder

Borderline personality disorder. (2017). Retrieved 12 March 2021, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/

Zhang, M. W., & Ho, R. C. (2012). Mastering Psychiatry: A Core Textbook for Undergraduates. MO.

Kay, J., & Tasman, A. (2006). Essentials of Psychiatry. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Borderline personality disorder – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic. (2020). Retrieved 5 March 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20370242