Running head: Borderline personality disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Colton J. Chacon
Salt Lake Community College
25 April 2016

Borderline personality disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Depending on where among the earth someone is at, or has grown up, they tend to be and
act a certain way. Within different areas and regions of the world, the way that people behave and
act can vary. Certain things that may seem like an everyday occurrence on one end of the globe
can be viewed as strange or even unacceptable behavior on the other. No two people think or act
in the same way, and it is this diversity of people and their way of life that makes the human
experience so great. But even with this wide variety of people and their personalities, there still
seems to be a collective idea of how a person is supposed to conduct themselves within whatever
society or group that they are a part of and what is considered to be a normal way for someone to
act.
The above statements may seem like a no-brainier for most people. Of course everyone is
expected to conduct themselves according to the norms of whatever society or group they are a
part of, it goes without saying. Anyone who does not, should be, and is usually, punished, cast
out from social groups, or even sent off to a place where they and their behavior can be dealt
with. Doing this is what keeps people like this from disrupting the normal function of society. If
people are choosing to behave in ways that are considered abnormal, then they should expect to
have to deal with whatever consequences may come.
While it would seem that sending someone away who is a disruptive member of society
is a good solution to keep things civilized, it may not always be the best way to deal with

Borderline personality disorder

individuals who do not behave according to the norms of society. Although some people do
choose to act out and do things that are viewed as crazy and disruptive for various reasons such
as; they are rebelling against something or someone, they may be just trying to cause problems
because it gives them a thrill, or they got caught up in a bad situation and they made the wrong
choice, there are others who fall into this same category who may act this way because of a
combination of biological and environmental reasons that they are not aware are causing them to
behave in such ways. It is possible that the latter of these two types of people could have a
mental disorder. For people with a mental disorder whose behavior is especially disruptive in
areas of relationships and whose actions are consistently causing them to get in trouble at work
and possibly with the law, they might have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
Since the days of the slave trades, society has always struggled with acceptance of those
who are viewed as being different from everyone else. Solutions in dealing with these people
have not always been the best, either. Now that all of that has passed, and even Gay marriage is
now legal, people are slowly becoming more aware and accepting of people who are different.
Perhaps, the next step in the move towards gaining an understanding of one another is to become
educated about people who have BPD, so that the ways in which they are being dealt with or
helped can be improved.
In order for new methods to be developed to treat BPD, scientists and society will need to
better understand it. Borderline Personality Disorder is defined as a serious mental illness that
causes unstable moods, behavior, and relationships. (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.)
This is the common definition that scientists can all agree on from what is currently known about
it. Research is in the very early stages and there needs to be more studies conducted, first, in
order to truly understand it (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.).

Borderline personality disorder

Even though not much is known about BPD, it does not mean that it is not a real
condition, or that it is not a serious problem in society. BPD affects 5.9 percent of adults (about
14 million Americans) and affects 50 percent more people than Alzheimers and almost as much
as Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder combined (National Education Alliance, n.d.).
Somehow, even with the rates of prevalence, not much is ever heard about BPD like is
heard about all of the other disorders mentioned. It is because of these numbers that it is so
important for people to become educated on not only what it is, but also gain an awareness of it.
This includes recognizing the symptoms of BPD. Symptoms which can include, fear of
abandonment, unstable or changing relationships, unstable self-image, impulsive behavior,
suicidal behavior, mood swings, feelings of worthlessness, anger problems, stress related
paranoia, and loss of contact with reality (V. Mark Durand, 2013).
Because of the lack of research that has been done, scientists have not come to a concrete
conclusion on what the cause, or causes, of BPD are. Based on the research that has been done,
they have come up with few common ideas that are thought to have a large impact in the
development of BPD. Much like other illnesses, ones environment can have an effect on their
health. In addition to environmental factors such as a history of child abuse or neglect BPD
may be linked to Genetics and brain abnormalities (The Mayo Clinic, n.d.) There are studies that
support the idea of biological factors that are said to be involved. Twin Studies that have been
done show that someone who has a direct relative that has been diagnosed with BPD is about
five times more likely to be diagnosed with it themselves (National Alliance on Mental Illness,
n.d.). Scientists have done studies on brain function and found that people with BPD show
abnormal function in the areas of the brain that help regulate emotion and judgment (National
Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.).

Borderline personality disorder

With the little that is known about this very prominent disease, not only by scientists, but
especially by society in general, it can be difficult to recognize and also understand it, and thus
makes it very difficult to come up with an appropriate way of dealing with people who have it
and then find an effective treatment for it. Treatments methods for BPD are improving every day.
The most common type of treatment is group and individual psychotherapy, but a new method
called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) has been developed specifically for BPD
(Psychology Today, n.d.). This treatment has shown very promising results and is now the
standard for treating people with BPD. (The Linehan Institute, n.d.)
There is currently no guaranteed cure for BPD, but many experts believe that most cases
of BPD can be successfully treated with weekly therapy that involves education about the
disorder, family support, and both social and emotional skills training (HelpGuide.org, n.d.).
Lots of things in this world can be described as crazy or unusual, unfortunately this has
also become the case for humans. But, it is humans that have made it this way, so that means that
humans also have the ability reverse this. Gaining an understanding of one another and becoming
more accepting of each other will result in a more improved and functional society. For people
with BPD, not only is a struggle to get ahead, but more important, it becomes a struggle to keep
consistent functionality within society. That is why it is so important to use the information that
is known about this disease to help those that may be affected by it. People cannot hope to thrive
and prosper in the world if they do not make a more conscious effort to ensure that each person
in it is as successful in life as they possibly can be.

Borderline personality disorder

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References

HelpGuide.org. (n.d.). Borderline Personality Disorder. Retrieved from HelpGuide.org:

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/personality-disorders/borderline-personalitydisorder.htm#diagnosis
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Borderline Personality Disorder. Retrieved from
National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-HealthConditions/Borderline-Personality-Disorder
National Education Alliance. (n.d.). Borderline Personality Disorder. Retrieved from National
Education Alliance: http://www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.com/what-is-bpd/bpdoverview/
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Borderline Personality Disorder. Retrieved from
National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderlinepersonality-disorder/index.shtml
Psychology Today. (n.d.). Borderline Personality Disorder. Retrieved from Psychology Today:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/borderline-personality-disorder
The Linehan Institute. (n.d.). What is DBT? Retrieved from behavioraltech.org:
http://behavioraltech.org/resources/whatisdbt.cfm
The Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Borderline Personality Disorder. Retrieved from The Mayo Clinic:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/borderline-personalitydisorder/basics/causes/con-20023204
V. Mark Durand, D. H. (2013). Essentials of Abnormal Psychology. Wadsworth.