Borderline Personality Disorder Research Paper

Borderline Personality Disorder
Greg Whittaker
Wor-Wic Community College
Abnormal Psychology
Shane Ferguson, M.A.
July 19, 2014

Borderline personality disorder is a serious medical condition that profoundly affects the lives of those who have it and those around them. In an effort to maintain serenity, families often struggle to avoid situations that can set off another explosive episode. They walk on egg shells, a failed effort because it is not possible to predict what will encourage an outburst. Living with a person who suffers from borderline personality disorder is like walking through a minefield, you never know when an explosion will occur. (Brody., 2009) It was previously thought that three times as
many women as men are diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, about 2% of the population. Research now shows that the actual occurrences are about even between men and women. (Levy., 2005)
An article found in PsychCentral.
(2014) says people with borderline personality disorder usually have a poor self-image, they feel empty inside and find it extremely difficult to be alone. People with this disorder are impulsive, severely volatile and seem to have unstable relationships when and if they have them at all. Out of all the personality disorders, borderline personality disorder is the most common, most difficult to understand and a lot of times has the most damaging impacts because of suicidal behavior. Some people with this disorder may engage in cutting or burning themselves to mask empty feelings or to punish themselves. When people with borderline personality disorder become agitated they may become mildly psychotic. Opposed to losing all sense of reality they are more apt to have a distortion of beliefs or how they perceive themselves. Their feelings can be exaggerated, while a family member or friend may be upset with them, they may believe the person is expressing feelings of hate or disgust. (PsychCentral.,
2014) Because borderline personality sufferers have an extreme fear of abandonment and are terrified of rejection, it is difficult for them to have a normal intimate relationship. Comorbidity is more common than not, so the fear of abandonment or rejection of their partner may induce self-destructive behavior like eating disorders and alcohol or drug abuse to combat anxiety. Sexual promiscuity and infidelity is common with borderline personality sufferers. (Levy., 2007)
Researchers Ogata et al. (1990) report that most mental health professionals believe that there is no one cause for any psychiatric disorder and agree that they develop as a result of genetic, environmental, psychological and social factors. A large portion of people report having symptoms in early childhood and initially that’s where research focused, for example child abuse or neglect were thought to be major culprits. This does not mean that all children who are sexually molested, physically abused or experience some other childhood trauma will develop borderline personality disorder, although these and genetic factors do play a part in predisposition. (Ogata et al., 1990)
Feeling vulnerable and feeling empty or alone are common experiences of being human. A diagnosis of borderline personality can only be made if several symptoms occur and they must be severe and long lasting. Also, for a personality to be considered a disorder it must impair the way a person functions and cause them significant distress. (DSM-5., 2013) There are no laboratory tests to determine borderline personality disorder, a diagnosis must be made by a qualified mental health professional conducting interviews about history and observing the persons behavior. Because of comorbidity of mood disorders, such as drug and or alcohol abuse, the mental health professional should consider these as well. Although there is no way to prevent borderline personality disorder, once diagnosed and treatment applied, relief from the more painful symptoms of the disorder are expected. (PsychCentral., 2014)
Psychotherapy is the most common treatment for borderline personality disorder. The challenge of this disorder is that the patient may understand intellectually their interpersonal problems but they still find it very difficult to deal with. Because they have exaggerated reactions to disappointment, this disorder will test the skills of the health care professional.
One of the top forms of structured psychotherapy is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Individual and group therapy in combination with psychotherapy techniques and education are used to address the special problems associated with borderline personality disorder and support the patient’s progress. (PsychCentral., 2007) Another popular therapy is scheme-focused therapy, which tries to address maladaptive worldviews that are believed to have originated in early childhood and replace them with healthy views using cognitive therapy techniques. The problems of this disorder vary a lot, so researchers tend to study a few factors at a time. (Nadort et al., 2009) DBT has shown in studies to lessen the intensity of suicidal thinking and reduce the frequency of self-harm. Also anxiety and depression symptoms have been reduced using DBT.
Another structured form of psychodynamic therapy is called transference-focused psychotherapy. During these sessions the therapist and patient examine emotional issues that come between them. People with this disorder have a hard time understanding the difference between their ideas and that of others, including the health care professional. The therapist helps the client gain a better perspective on their world view and help them manage their behavior and feelings in a healthier fashion. (PsychCentral., 2007)
Mentalization-based therapy (MBT) is a fourth type of psychotherapy. It is associated with the idea that people with borderline personality disorder have difficulty making sense of their beliefs, feelings and emotions as well as those of others. The therapist helps the patient stabilize their feelings of self and helps them design better ways of thinking about emotions and how to better express them. MBT can be used in individual therapy and group settings, and has been used in out-patient and hospital settings as well. (Grohl., 2008)
In addition to psychotherapy, medication is clearly helpful in borderline personality disorder but there is no magic pill.
Medication is used to treat symptoms as they arise or to treat other disorders occurring simultaneously, including alcoholism, drug abuse, mood or anxiety disorders. Antipsychotic medication may be prescribed if the person’s thinking is distorted. These include Zyprexa and Risperdal among others. At times mood stabilizers will be prescribed, such as Lithium, Depakote, or Topamax. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Celexa are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) used as antidepressants and seem to be most effective when treating people with borderline personality disorder. (Biskin et al.,
2012)
In conclusion, the outcome of this disorder depends on how severe the symptoms manifest, the amount of stress and availability of support. The person’s ability to remain in treatment is extremely important. Some find themselves in and out of treatment so many times that eventually they decline help altogether. People with borderline personality disorder seem to have difficulty finding a therapist they are comfortable with because of their symptoms. (Biskin et al., 2012) Combining individual therapy with group therapy eases the client and helps them focus more on their goals. Mental healthcare professionals are optimistic about long-term outcomes for people who suffer with borderline personality disorder. A paper published in 2014 reported on a study that followed hundreds of patients with this disorder over several years. The majority of the participants experienced some relief of symptoms with treatment. And half no longer met the criteria for having borderline personality disorder and were functioning well. (Laurenssen et al., 2014) Research shows that with continuing treatment many people with this disorder will begin to take pleasure in healthy relationships and lead happy, productive lives.

References

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