| Raising questions, finding answersBorderline | | | | BPD results from a combination of individual |
| personality disorder (BPD) is a serious | | | | vulnerability to environmental stress, |
| mental illness characterized by pervasive | | | | neglect or abuse as young children. A series |
| instability in moods, interpersonal | | | | of events that trigger the onset of the |
| relationships, self-image, and behavior. This | | | | disorder as young adults.Adults with BPD are |
| instability often disrupts family and work | | | | also considerably more likely to be the |
| life, long-term planning, and the | | | | victim of violence, including rape and other |
| individual's sense of | | | | crimes. This may result from both harmful |
| self-identity.Originally thought to be at the | | | | environments as well as impulsivity and poor |
| "borderline" of psychosis, people with BPD | | | | judgment in choosing partners and |
| suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation. | | | | lifestyles.NIMH-funded neuroscience research |
| While less well known than schizophrenia or | | | | is revealing brain mechanisms underlying the |
| bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), | | | | impulsivity, mood instability, aggression, |
| BPD is more common, affecting 2 percent of | | | | anger, and negative emotion seen in BPD. |
| adults, mostly young women.There are a high | | | | Studies suggest that people predisposed to |
| rate of self-injury without suicide intent, | | | | impulsive aggression have impaired regulation |
| as well as a significant rate of suicide | | | | of the neural circuits that modulate emotion. |
| attempts and completed suicide in severe | | | | The amygdale, a small almond-shaped structure |
| cases. Patients often need extensive mental | | | | deep inside the brain, is an important |
| health services, and account for 20 percent | | | | component of the circuit that regulates |
| of psychiatric hospitalizations.Yet, with | | | | negative emotion.In response to signals from |
| help, many improve over time and are | | | | other brain centers indicating a perceived |
| eventually able to lead productive lives. | | | | threat, it marshals fear and arousal. This |
| Symptoms While a person with depression or | | | | might be more pronounced under the influence |
| bipolar disorder typically endures the same | | | | of drugs like alcohol, or stress. Areas in |
| mood for weeks. A person with BPD may | | | | the front of the brain (pre-frontal area) act |
| experience intense bouts of anger, | | | | to dampen the activity of this circuit. |
| depression, and anxiety that may last only | | | | Recent brain imaging studies show that |
| hours, or at most a day. These may be | | | | individual differences in the ability to |
| associated with episodes of impulsive | | | | activate regions of the prefrontal cerebral |
| aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol | | | | cortex thought to be involved in inhibitory |
| abuse.Distortions in cognition and sense of | | | | activity predict the ability to suppress |
| self can lead to frequent changes in | | | | negative emotion.Serotonin, nor epinephrine |
| long-term goals, career plans, jobs, | | | | and acetylcholine are among the chemical |
| friendships, gender identity, and values. | | | | messengers in these circuits that play a role |
| Sometimes people with BPD view themselves as | | | | in the regulation of emotions, including |
| fundamentally bad, or unworthy. They may feel | | | | sadness, anger, anxiety, and irritability. |
| unfairly misunderstood or mistreated, bored, | | | | Drugs that enhance brain serotonin function |
| empty, and have little idea who they are. | | | | may improve emotional symptoms in |
| Such symptoms are most acute when people with | | | | BPD.Likewise, mood-stabilizing drugs that are |
| BPD feel isolated and lacking in social | | | | known to enhance the activity of GABA, the |
| support, and may result in frantic efforts to | | | | brain's major inhibitory neurotransmitter, |
| avoid being alone.People with BPD often have | | | | may help people who experience BPD-like mood |
| highly unstable patterns of social | | | | swings. Such brain-based vulnerabilities can |
| relationships. While they can develop intense | | | | be managed with help from behavioral |
| but stormy attachments, their attitudes | | | | interventions and medications, much like |
| towards family, friends, and loved ones may | | | | people manage susceptibility to diabetes or |
| suddenly shift from idealization (great | | | | high blood pressure.Future Progress Studies |
| admiration and love) to devaluation (intense | | | | that translate basic findings about the |
| anger and dislike).Thus, they may form an | | | | neural basis of temperament, mood regulation, |
| immediate attachment and idealize the other | | | | and cognition into clinically relevant |
| person, but when a slight separation or | | | | insights which bear directly on BPD represent |
| conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to | | | | a growing area of NIMH-supported |
| the other extreme and angrily accuse the | | | | research.Research is also underway to test |
| other person of not caring for them at all. | | | | the efficacy of combining medications with |
| Even with family members, individuals with | | | | behavioral treatments like DBT, and gauging |
| BPD are highly sensitive to rejection, | | | | the effect of childhood abuse and other |
| reacting with anger and distress to such mild | | | | stress in BPD on brain hormones. Data from |
| separations as a vacation, a business trip, | | | | the first prospective, longitudinal study of |
| or a sudden change in plans.These fears of | | | | BPD, which began in the early 1990s, is |
| abandonment seem to be related to | | | | expected to reveal how treatment affects the |
| difficulties feeling emotionally connected to | | | | course of the illness.It will also pinpoint |
| important persons when they are physically | | | | specific environmental factors and |
| absent, leaving the individual with BPD | | | | personality traits that predict a more |
| feeling lost and perhaps worthless. Suicide | | | | favorable outcome. The Institute is also |
| threats and attempts may occur along with | | | | collaborating with a private foundation to |
| anger at perceived abandonment and | | | | help attract new researchers to develop a |
| disappointments.People with BPD exhibit other | | | | better understanding and better treatment for |
| impulsive behaviors, such as excessive | | | | BPD.With Much Love,Arthur Buchanan |
| spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD | | | | |
| often occurs together with other psychiatric | | | | President/CEO |
| problems, particularly bipolar disorder, | | | | |
| depression, anxiety disorders, substance | | | | Out of Darkness & Into the Light |
| abuse, and other personality | | | | |
| disorders.TreatmentTreatments for BPD have | | | | 43 Oakwood Ave. Suite 1012 |
| improved in recent years. Group and | | | | |
| individual psychotherapy are at least | | | | Huron Ohio, 44839 |
| partially effective for many patients. Within | | | | |
| the past 15 years, a new psychosocial | | | | 567-219-0994 (cell) |
| treatment termed dialectical behavior therapy | | | | |
| (DBT) was developed specifically to treat | | | | are calling Arthur Buchanan's methods of |
| BPD, and this technique has looked promising | | | | recovering from mental illness REVOLUTIONARY! |
| in treatment studies.Pharmacological | | | | (MEDICAL COLLEGE OF MICHIGAN) 'Arthur |
| treatments are often prescribed based on | | | | Buchanan has given us a revolutionary blue |
| specific target symptoms shown by the | | | | print for recovery in these uncertain times, |
| individual patient. Antidepressant drugs and | | | | when Mental Illness at a all time high in the |
| mood stabilizers may be helpful for depressed | | | | United States of America, yet if you follow |
| and/or labile mood. Antipsychotic drugs may | | | | this young mans methods, we assure you of |
| also be used when there are distortions in | | | | positive results and I QUOTE 'If these |
| thinking.Recent Research FindingsAlthough the | | | | methods are followed precisely, their is no |
| cause of BPD is unknown, both environmental | | | | way you can't see positive results with |
| and genetic factors are thought to play a | | | | whatever illness you have' -Dr. Herbert Palos |
| role in predisposing patients to BPD symptoms | | | | Detroit, MichiganListen to Arthur Buchanan on |
| and traits. Studies show that many, but not | | | | the Mike Litman Show! |
| all individuals with BPD report a history of | | | | |
| abuse, neglect, or separation as young | | | | |
| children Forty to 71 percent of BPD patients | | | | |
| report having been sexually abused, usually | | | | THIS LINK WORKS, LISTEN TODAY! |
| by a non-caregiver.Researchers believe that | | | | |