Borderline personality disorder is a common psychiatric health problem today. As a result of research, differences in social life and family relationships increase the incidence of personality disorders. In addition, personality disorders pave the way for serious problems in family communication, social and professional adaptation. In the past, it was thought that personality disorders could not be treated, but today the opposite is true.
Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that causes problems in the way an individual thinks, understands an event, feels towards the other person and communicates bilaterally. The word 'borderline' means 'borderline, ambiguous'. The reason for this is that borderline personality disorder was originally defined as the border between two mental problems, neurosis and psychosis. Borderline personality disorder usually manifests itself during adolescence and young adulthood. Borderline personality disorder is more common in women than in men.
What are the Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder?
Individuals with borderline personality disorder may experience sudden changes in emotions. Individuals with this disorder often feel the need to question their purpose in life, their role, their identity and their purpose in life, and their answers to these questions can change quickly.
Individuals with this disorder observe the events they experience clearly. According to these people, when an event happens, it is either very good or very bad. There is no middle ground. The ideas that individuals with borderline personality disorder develop about other people can change suddenly. There is no reason for their opinions to change. For example, one day they may be very close friends with someone and the next day they may act as if they hate that person. For this reason, they experience ebbs and flows in their relationships with others. In addition, these individuals show excessive emotion and exaggerated behavior in their emotional relationships. We can list the symptoms of Borderline personality disorder as follows;
- Rapid change of mood towards family and friends
- The inability to feel belonging to a place
- Quickly develop a sense of trust
- Engaging in harmful behavior
- Thoughts or attempts to kill oneself
- Not paying attention while driving, bad habits, spending too much money, lack of impulse control
- Rapid change of emotions
- Inability to control anger
- Feeling of emptiness
Symptoms such as having unfounded suspicions about other people and experiencing insecurity may also be observed.
Not all symptoms may be observed in people with borderline personality disorder. Some people may experience all of the symptoms, while others may experience only a few symptoms. The rate, time and intensity of the symptoms observed may vary from person to person. The occurrence of symptoms can affect some events in everyday life. In individuals with this disorder, events such as arguments and separation in emotional relationships can predispose the occurrence of symptoms.
What Causes Borderline Personality Disorder?
The events that cause this disorder have not been completely clear. However, the existence of some factors affects the development of this disorder. For example, it is observed that genetic structure has an effect on the development of the disease. In studies conducted to better observe the progression of the disorder, some differences in functioning were found between the brain structure of a person in good health and a person with borderline disorder. Only a link between these changes and the disorder has not been fully established.
Borderline patients have a high rate of childhood experiences of indifference, abuse and abandonment. These events occurring at a young age are also a factor in the development of the disorder. Mental disorders are caused by the succession of many different events. Therefore, we cannot say that every individual or family who has experienced a bad event has borderline personality disorder.
What Problems Does Borderline Personality Disorder Cause?
Borderline patients may experience significant problems in their daily lives. The lives of people whose disorder is unclear, undiagnosed and not treated properly are badly affected by this disorder. We can list the problems caused by Borderline personality disorder as follows;
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Dropping out of education
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Instability at work, losing your job
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Conflict in emotional relationships, serious marital problems, separation
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Abrasive behavior in bilateral relationships
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Committing acts that could lead to imprisonment
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Suicide attempt
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Acting on impulses and therefore getting pregnant involuntarily, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, fighting with other individuals
Borderline disorder causes problems in many different areas, from the person's health to their personal life, from their financial situation to their criminal record. In order for the individual to be able to adapt to life in a more robust and healthy way and to be protected from the different effects of the disorder, treatment is necessary.
Since mental disorders generally do not cause significant physical problems, both the person who is ill and the patient's family can ignore this situation. However, some psychiatric disorders have negative effects on all aspects of life. This is why individuals who show symptoms of the disorder should see a specialist. If Borderline disorder is recognized in time, it can be cured before it has a negative impact on the person's life.
How is Borderline Personality Disorder Diagnosed and Treated?
The diagnosis of this disorder is determined by the doctor listening to the history of the person, the results of some tests applied to the sick person, psychological analysis, previous illnesses and control, symptoms and evaluation of the person.
The diagnosis of this disorder is especially for adults. In childhood and adolescence, the symptoms of borderline personality disorder may go away as the child grows older. Therefore, the diagnosis of this disorder is generally not determined in the younger age group.
The main method of treatment is psychotherapy. If necessary, medication may be recommended in addition to psychotherapy. If the specialist is concerned about the safety of the affected person, hospitalization may be appropriate.
Borderline personality disorder is not a disorder that responds to treatment immediately. It is necessary to be patient during the treatment process and it may take time for the person to feel better. The family and environment of the patient should also support the person in this process.
