Living on the Border !!! - Insight into causes of BPD (in me and in general )- JournalHome.com

Living on the Border !!! - Insight into causes of BPD (in me and in general )- JournalHome.com Living on the Border !!!

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1/17/2008 - Insight into causes of BPD (in me and in general )

I found this article(under my personal theory) with Insight into what generally causes Borderline personality Disorder.. I also wanted to Discuss what caused my BPD and other Mental Health Issues... Of course I am no Doctor but I do have some insight into what caused my own BPD and what makes it worse...

Of course there are biological factors and chemical imbalances that are a major factor in my Illness although many other things play a a role in my disorder(s)... I grew up in a sheltered environment with two caring Parents.. My Mom and Grandmother who loved me dearly(Dad was absent) but my mother had Borderline as well as Bipolar and other issues.. I saw her outburts and breakdowns often and she was often iun the Hospital from such events... I learned those behaviors from a young age and was very socially isolated... needed my family to do everything for me.. I felt socially , emotionally, and mentally incapable of taking care of myself or my own needs... I ran away from my feelings and could not deal with reality.. never knew what a healthy relationship was.. was picked on and made fun of in school and around places which did not do much for my self esteem and self image. By the time I was 17 I was still really trapped in a 10 yr old"s soul and emotions ... and I started abusing drugs and alcohol and of course that kept me stuck at a very young age emotionally.. Never knowing who I was.. I would drift in and out of different interests, idenities, and Groups of people.. just wanting to be accepted by someone, anyone. I had a great family but they enabled me to much which led to my poor emotional and mental development over the years and when I did move out on my own I was unsure how to cope or deal with Life.. which explains why I did then and still do now escape by various means.. always searching for myself.. trying to relive my childhood, teenage years,and twenties.. It seems like I am always playing catch up but always ten strides behind... Now , I am without treatment and my disorder is worsening by the day.. sometimes by the minute.. Not the right meds, Doctors, or overall supervison creates for a chaotic Life and I continue to live with this sense of nothingness... Sure I can see what may have caused my disorder and problems but That is then and now I must see what needs to be done to fix them or at least make them better...Just sitting here hoping things will change does not do it but I often feel helpless to help myself.

CAUSES OF BPD

For many years, it was commonly believed that the main cause of borderline personality disorder was poor or uninformed parenting. It now seems most likely that both environmental and biological factors, especially genetic ones, place a person at risk for developing the disorder.^4,9-12
For example, psychological and social (environmental) factors, including but not limited to poor parenting, increase the risk of developing the disorder in those people biologically predisposed to it.⁹ It appears that no single cause, or risk factor, is responsible by itself for causing the disorder.

Finally, it is generally held that biological and environmental risk factors interact to reach a certain critical level of brain dysfunction in order for the symptoms of borderline personality disorder to become apparent. It appears that this critical degree of disturbance of brain function can be achieved by a large amount of biological risk that requires only a low amount of environmental risk, low biological risk coupled with high environmental risk, or intermediate levels of both.

Biological Risk Factors

Research studies now suggest that over 50% of the risk of developing borderline disorder is conveyed by genetic abnormalities. These abnormalities appear to affect the proper functioning of those brain pathways or circuits that serve the behavioral functions of emotion information processing, impulse control and cognitive activity such as perception and reasoning. Current research suggests that there is not a single, specific gene for borderline disorder. It appears that the genes that increase risk for the disorder may be passed on by those people who have the disorder itself, or a related disorder, such as bipolar disorder, depression, substance use disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Environmental Risk Factors

Of all environmental factors that place a person at risk for developing borderline disorder, those associated with poor or uninformed parenting appear to be the most important.These include early separation from one or both parents, repeated emotional, physical or sexual abuse by someone within or outside of the family itself, and inconsistent, unsupportive care. Poor parenting can also include failing to protect the child from repeated abuse by the other parent, another member of the family, or an outsider.

It is important to understand that children who have not been exposed to such environmental traumas still develop borderline disorder. This suggests that in some people the biological risk of developing the disorder is very high, and may be sufficient in the absence of environmental traumas.

If you suffer from borderline disorder, you are more prone to develop certain other mental disorders than those who do not have borderline disorder.^13,14 One possible explanation of this is that some of the genes that increase the risk of developing borderline disorder also increase the risk for developing these other disorders as well.

The disorders that most often occur with borderline disorder include the following:

mood disorders: major depressive disorder; dysthymia; bipolar disorder
substance use disorders
anxiety/panic disorders
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
eating disorders: bulimia; anorexia nervosa
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
other personality disorders

Often, the diagnosis of these disorders is made correctly in patients with borderline disorder, but the diagnosis of borderline disorder is missed. When this occurs, treatment for the other condition is typically less successful than it might otherwise be, mainly because the appropriate treatments for borderline disorder have not been utilized.

Conversely, the effective treatment of borderline disorder requires the prompt recognition of other disorders if they are also present and, if so, the appropriate additional treatment.

The early detection and effective treatment of a mental disorder co-occurring with borderline disorder may result in rapid improvement of the symptoms of borderline disorder if it is being properly treated itself. This is an added incentive to consider the presence of these disorders along with borderline disorder, and to treat them when present.

For these reasons, you and your psychiatrist should attempt to determine the presence of these co-occurring conditions, and to initiate promptly the appropriate additional treatments if indicated.

You have the responsibility to build the foundation for your own recovery. Patience and persistence are essential to success.

These behaviors are usually not strong points of people with borderline disorder. However, they can be developed with the proper help, and as small and large successes are achieved, and failures become less common. Others with borderline disorder have done so. So can you. Do not lose hope.