What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-TR-IV), BPD is a type of psychological personality disorder that interferes with an individual's ability to regulate emotion. The characteristic emotional instability results in dramatic and abrupt shifts in mood, impulsivity, poor self-image and tumultuous interpersonal relationships.
People with this disorder are prone to unpredictable outbursts of anger, which sometimes manifest in self-injurious behavior. Borderlines can be highly sensitive to rejection, and fear of abandonment may result in frantic efforts to avoid being left alone, such as suicide threats and attempts.
The following is a list of quick links to articles summarizing recent research on the the Borderline brain, mediation, suicidality and symptom improvement.
Quick Links to New Research on APD
Metabolism and the BPD Brain: Review of Neurophysiological Studies of Borderline PD
and
Anatomy of the BPD Brain: Review of Neuroanatomical Studies of Borderline PD
A study recently appearing in the May 2007 issue of Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience reviews what we know about the brain structure and physiology of BPD patients.
Medication, Self-Destruction & PDs: Research on Pharmacotherapy for Personality Disorder Suicidality
What do we know about the effectiveness of drug therapies used in the treatment PD suicidal behavior? In the June 2007 issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry Dr. Robert Cardish sums it up.
Time Heals Borderline PD Symptoms: New Research Shows that Many BPD Traits Improve Over the Years
Research by Mary Zanarini in the June 2007 issue of The American Journal of Psychology examined the course of 24 symptoms of Borderline PD with respect to the time to remission. The results of this 10 year study revealed that many Borderline PD traits decline with age.
Additional Resources on BPD
There are numerous on-line and in print resources with additional information on the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder, including: Psychology Prof Online, BPD Resource Center and the Suite101 articles Personality Disorders: Brief Summary of the Ten Disorders of Personality, and Borderline PD Information.
This Suite 101 article is a brief summary of recents studies of BPD. The contents of this article are not meant to be used for diagnosis and are not a substitute for professional help and counseling.
Sources
American Psychiatric Association APA (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR).
Lis, E., Greenfield, B., Henry, M., Guile, J.M. and Dougherty, G. (2007) Neuroimaging and genetics of borderline personality disorder: a review. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 32, 3.
Narayan, V.M., Narr, K.L., Kamuri, V., Woods, R.P. et al. (2007) Regional Cortical Thinning in Subjects With Violent Antisocial Personality Disorder or Schizophrenia. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 9.
Zanarini, M., Frankenburg, F., Reich, D. B., Silk, K. et al. (2007) The Subsyndromal Phenomenology of Borderline Personality Disorder: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study. Am J Psychiatry,164, 6.
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