When we hear about Borderline personality disorder(BPD), we assume it to be a non-curable mental condition. However, If symptoms are managed, the disorder can be cured.
What triggers a person with borderline personality disorder? Read till the end to know about it.
Personality disorders are mental disorders that induce in people a rigid and unhealthy pattern of thinking, functioning, and behaving. They usually have trouble perceiving and relating to situations and people.
This causes significant problems and limitations in relationships, social activities, work, and school. Personality disorders are of many kinds.
1. Types of Personality Disorders
1.1. Paranoid Personality Disorder
Involves a burst of paranoia in people. They are overly suspicious and distrustful. They are hesitant to trust people due to unreasonable fear that others will use the information against them.Angry or hostile reactions to perceived slights or insults.
1.2. Schizoid Personality Disorder
This disorder is characterized by a lack of interest in everything. People usually don’t want to form any kind of bond or relationship. Social activities and gatherings are ignored.
1.3. Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Flat emotions and inappropriate emotional responses are the backbones of this disorder. Social anxiety and indifferent behavior make it hard for people with BPD to form friendships and other relations.
People with STPD have unusual thoughts, speech and behaviors, which usually hinder their ability to form and maintain relationships.
1.4. Borderline Personality Disorder
A borderline personality disorder is a medical condition that like many other personality disorders triggers a person’s cerebral nerves. It is characterized by unstable moods, behavior, and relationships.
It is a serious mental illness that may be manifested through an individual’s intense fear of abandonment, anger or rage towards caregivers or partners, suicidal thoughts, self-destructive behaviors, and sometimes paranoia.
People with borderline personality disorder are likely to experience mood swings and feel uncertain about how they see themselves. Their feelings and emotions can change quickly and can lead to unstable relationships and emotional pain.
Borderline personality disorder in itself is not dangerous or fatal but the symptoms and side effects that come with it make it difficult to cure. Here’s all you need to know about borderline personality disorder.
2. Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder
Symptoms of Borderline personality disorder may worsen as the person continues to be affected by personal triggers. They need to be managed effectively to prevent the disorder from becoming a serious health hazard.
They include:
- Intense emotions triggered by a memory, location, or image of an experience of a traumatic event or loss. A pattern of unstable intense relationships such as idealizing someone one moment and then suddenly believing that the person doesn’t care enough or is cruel.
- Feelings of intense fear of abandonment, sometimes resorting to extreme measures to avoid real or imagined separation or rejection or anger to being abandoned or neglected by loved ones.
- Intense mood swings and suicidal thoughts. Serious mood swings may last from a few hours to even a few days including intense happiness, irritability, shame, or anxiety.
- Due to the highly impulsive nature of the disease, Substance abuse and alcohol addiction are common. Rapidly changing self-identity and self-image that includes changing values from time to time.
- Antisocial and compulsive behavior towards peers or prolonged feelings of emptiness.
- Hostility, impulsivity, irritability, or unstable self-image.
- Self-harm, social isolation, or lack of restraint. Inappropriate and intense anger such as suddenly losing temper or having verbal or physical fights.
- Anger, anxiety, or general discontentment. Periods of stress-related paranoia and loss of control are common in many kinds of personality disorders.
- Depression, distorted self-image, grandiosity, or narcissism.
3. Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder
The causes of borderline personality disorder (BPD) haven’t been fully unveiled yet. However, it is caused by several factors which may be taken into consideration while going through the treatment.
3.1. Genetics
Genetics refers to the study of genes, genetic variation, or heredity. Genetic causes of borderline personality disorder imply that a person’s parents or ancestors have been diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder.
It is more likely that the person may suffer from the same. In cases of twins, it has also been found that if one of the identical twins had the disorder, there was a fair chance for the other to also have it.
3.2. Brain Abnormalities
People suffering from borderline personality disorder usually have a problem with the neurotransmitters in the brain such as serotonin. Altered levels of serotonin in the brain can trigger depression and aggression which in turn can contribute to borderline personality disorder.
Researchers have also found that many people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder had brains smaller than normal or had unusual cerebral activity. The changes in certain areas of the brain are involved in emotion regulation, impulsivity, and aggression.
The genetically inherited parts of the brain are affected by a child’s early upbringing. These parts of the brain are also responsible for mood regulation, which may account for some of the problems people with borderline personality disorder have in close relationships.
3.3. Environmental Factors
Several environmental factors also contribute to the risk of developing borderline personality disorder such as having been a victim of physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, or child abuse in the past. Subject to being under long-term fear or distress as a child also triggers BPD.
In many cases, parents have neglected their children can lead to BPD. Also, growing with another family member who had a serious mental health condition such as bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance abuse addiction.
4. What Triggers a Person With Borderline Personality Disorder?
BPD triggers vary from person to person. This disorder comes with a lot of changes in a person’s behavior and life. This mental illness affects a person’s self-identity and self-image.
From unstable mood swings to even suicidal thoughts, BPD can turn into a serious health condition if not managed on time. People with this disorder have described it as having an exposed nerve ending, leaving someone to be easily triggered by small things.
Borderline personality disorder leaves a person in a state of huge emotional instability. They begin to have doubts about themselves. Small things can make them angry or upset. They are not satisfied with themselves and sometimes resort to extreme steps which may include self-destruction or even suicide.
They act impulsively, have intense emotions, and experience dislocation and paranoia when most stressed. This can spoil their interpersonal relationships and the inability to self-soothe can lead to impulsive, reckless behavior.
The condition makes other people loathe people with BPD. They may have a hard time building friendships and other relations. Their family members may experience regular tantrums or cranky behavior which may be annoying.
On top of this, many people with BPD struggle with self-awareness and how others perceive them. This makes them extremely sensitive. A borderline personality disorder is a mental as well as a physical condition. Its symptoms begin to manifest during the early stages of adulthood and gradually improve later in life.
Borderline personality disorder can be triggered by several factors:
4.1. Lack of Emotional Support
The most common BPD triggers are relationship triggers. People with BPD are usually a part of short and intense relationships. They may fall in love quickly and assume that the other person will make them happy.
However, if things don’t go the right way, they may feel disappointed and emotional which can trigger the condition. This pattern of unstable relationships casts a cloud on their self-confidence and lowers their self-esteem. Regular therapy sessions with the mental health provider can help to manage emotions.
4.2. Stressful Daily Activities
The unstable mood swings experienced by the person can make them very cranky. The little things that hardly matter to other people matter a great deal to people suffering from the disorder.
It becomes hard for them to feel happy with the little things in life. For example, leaving the light on or the door open can trigger an outburst of sudden anger in them. Their mood swings are unpredictable.
4.3. Explosive Feelings of Anger
Intense anger and a short temper are characteristics of borderline personality disorder. The sudden burst of anger makes it difficult for the concerned person to control their emotions once they have been provoked.
This anger triggers their emotions and may induce them to do something they might otherwise not have done. They can harm themselves as well as those around them.
To reduce self-destructive behaviors, regular therapy sessions with mental health professionals are advised.
4.4. Feelings of Emptiness and Loneliness
Borderline personality disorder induces in people a sense of emptiness. They tend to feel void and as if they are not important to anyone.
As a result, they resort to addictive measures such as alcohol addiction or substance abuse to find fulfillment in life.
4.5. Being Away from Reality
BPD leads to suspicion in people. They struggle about understanding the feelings of those around them. They tend to think that everybody around them is judging them.
When they are stressed, they may lose touch with reality and feel dissociated. Disassociation is like being spaced out, foggy, or as if one does not exist in his or her own body.
5. How is Borderline Personality Disorder Diagnosed?
Personality disorders including borderline personality disorder are often diagnosed based on an interview with the psychiatrist which may include psychological evaluation considering the medical history and a discussion about signs and symptoms experienced by the people.
BPD is treated usually in adults since there are chances that BPD symptoms in children get better as they grow older. Treatment usually includes:
1. Psychotherapy
Talking with the patients and understanding their symptoms. It includes a deep analysis of the patient’s day-to-day activities and what triggers their symptoms. Psychotherapy is also known as Talk Therapy.
During the therapy, they learn to manage their emotions and are advised to work on improving relationships by being aware of their feelings. A changed attitude toward life and a positive approach helps greatly in this regard.
Therapy emphasizes the development of four skill sets such as mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and stress tolerance. It includes various types of therapy such as Dialectical behavior therapy (DPT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), or Group Therapy.
2. Medications
Although there are no prescribed medications for borderline personality disorder, symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and impulsive behavior can be treated using anti-depressants, antipsychotics, or mood-stabilizing drugs.
3. Hospitalization
Hospitalization is usually advised for patients dealing with extreme symptoms such as self-harm or suicide attempt. Being under the guidance of a licensed mental health professional can help patients to manage their symptoms quickly.
6. Summary
A borderline personality disorder is a mental condition that makes people insecure about themselves. They begin to form negative notions about themselves and those around them. The causes of the disorder can be genetic or can be acquired over a course of time.
Treatment is usually given in form of Therapy which includes Dialectical behavior therapy or Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Hopefully, this article helped you widen your mental horizon regarding Borderline Personality disorder. If you found the article helpful, here is something more for you.
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