Beyond Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe psychiatric condition, which is characterized by rapid change of psychological conditions like depression, panic attacks or even any kind of dysfunction around you. In the United States, research has shown that Borderline Personality Disorder affects 1.6 percent of the population; studies show that it is believed to be more like 5.9 percent because 40 percent of BPD patients are misdiagnosed. That percentage seems small but that’s about 4 million people. BPD affects more woman than men, about 75 percent more and still is not a well-known disorder. BPD is a serious illness and 20 percent of people from BPD also have Bi-polar disorder. Several things are thought to be causes of BPD even though it is not certain psychologist believe it can be associated with how you are raised like being abandoned as a child, genetics and other social factors like poor communication in the home. Is BPD treatable?
New York psychoanalyst Adolf Stern introduced the term borderline in 1938. According to Theodore Million, Adolf stern used this term to describe the condition that was between neurosis and psychosis. BPD can be related to many extreme behaviors. People who suffer from this disease tend to look strange or even threatening during their attacks. The attacks usually start suddenly and the people cannot control themselves. Some with strong religious belief think it is a manifestation of the devil. BPD has nothing to do with the devil is a disorder resulted from unstable psychic state and inability to deal with their emotions. Psychiatrist feel that people with BPD do not and cannot get better. Intrapersonal Psychotherapy expert Lorna Smith believes there are characteristics that create a child with bpd and these characteristics she speaks of is why some psychologist think why you can’t get better. Loving family, kids who grow up in misery, sickness or family chaos. Family therapy pioneer Murray Bowen believes that those families need a black sheep to blame all their problems on and even after treatment when the individual feels better the family would still treat them badly. However, Families are not always to blame sometimes its stressful to have to help or be around a family member with this condition. Watching a family member with deal with BPD is hard, sometimes family can feel helpless and have to watch the individual engage in self-destructive behavior. In addition, family members can get chronic stress for caring for their loved one with bpd and suffer psychological trauma due to high-risk behaviors especially dealing with a child or teenager with bpd. Examples of these behaviors would be self-harming such as cutting burning and even accidental deaths. BPD is more associated with self-harm more than violence towards anybody else. According to Michele S. Berk, PhD BPD is the only personality disorsder to have suicidal or self-injurious behavior among its diagnostic criteria. Studies showed that 3.8% completed suicide rate in a sample of a 6 year follow up. Earleier studies reported rates of 8 to 10 percent that commited suicide 50 times greater than now.