About 3% of the world's population live “on the brink”. They know exactly what Borderline Syndrome is. The disease is often "in the shadow" of more complex ailments, due to which it is not diagnosed on time. Previously, the diagnosis of "borderline personality disorder" was given to everyone who suffered from mental disorders. To date, the main groups of causes provoking the disease have been identified. Find out who the borderliners are and how they cope with their disease.
Borderline personality disorder
When a person has a mental disorder that is weak (the patient controls the surrounding reality), they are called an emotional unstable personality disorder. In the medical environment, it is called Borderline syndrome. More often it develops in adults aged 17-25 years. But recently, doctors have noticed that the first signs of the disease begin to appear in youth. Emotional instability, high impulsivity, uncontrolled feelings - all these symptoms in a child or adolescent are an alarm: in the future, he may develop borderline syndrome. What is it and how can a boy or girl recognize it? A person becomes emotionally unstable, he appears narcissistic signs, sociopathy; he controls his behavior less and less, becomes impulsive. Unreasonable anxiety and a desire to isolate oneself from the outside world appear. These symptoms are often observed in adolescents experiencing a transitional period. It is important not to confuse them with the first signs of a mental disorder.
Causes
Specialists distinguish 4 main groups.
- Biochemical. The balance of chemicals that are responsible for the manifestation of emotions and their regulation is disturbed. If there is a lack of serotonin in the body, this leads to depression. With endorphin deficiency, the nervous system loses the ability to withstand stress.
- Heredity. An unstable psyche in humans is sometimes embedded in DNA. Therefore, people who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder are predisposed to mental disorders.
- Lack of attention. The absence or lack of parental love in childhood often causes serious psychological trauma, which are manifested in the adult's life.
- Violence (physical or emotional). High demands on children can become the reason for the development of their mental disorders in the future.
- Educational measures. When the family microclimate is violated - the child is too spoiled or, on the contrary, a dictatorial regime is established - this leads to difficulties in social adaptation.
Borderline syndrome, a borderline disorder, is more often diagnosed in women (75%).
Symptoms
The disease can manifest itself in different ways. People with an emotionally unstable personality disorder have common symptoms. More often they appear in the aggregate. But a separate symptom can have a pronounced character. Suspicions of Borderline syndrome should occur if a person has the following symptoms:
- Constant anxiety.
- Excessive impulsiveness.
- Uncontrollability of emotions.
- Lingering depressive states.
- Difficulties with social adaptation.
- Antisocial behavior (drug use, addiction to alcohol, criminal acts).
Many on this list find at least one of the symptoms inherent in them. But this does not prove the presence of borderline syndrome. A specialist should contact a specialist who has at least 5 of the following symptoms.
- The fear of loneliness is pronounced.
- Relations with other people are not balanced.
- The control over impulses is lost: a person begins to cause damage to himself.
- Physical harm to oneself.
- Sharp leaps of emotions.
- A sense of inner emptiness, wearing a chronic nature.
- Unjustified rage.
- Frequent appearance of strange ideas.
Features
People with borderline personality disorder have characteristics that "set them apart from the crowd." The symptoms were indicated above, the manifestation of which causes suspicion of Borderline syndrome. A description of the behavior of a person with a mental disorder is given below.
- Patients with borderline personality disorder lose their guilt. They do not recognize their wrongness, but believe that others do not see their rightness and value.
- Such people begin to completely reject the feeling of love. And the fear of loneliness forces them to do everything possible so as not to be alone.
- People with Borderline Syndrome see the world in black and white. As a result, they either experience excessive enthusiasm for what is happening, or are immersed in depression. Life for them becomes terrible or beautiful. There is no middle ground here. They are even irritated by minor failures and misunderstandings.
- A person with borderline personality disorder is constantly depressed. He often thinks of death and attempts to punish himself. This is manifested in any action and leads to a general deterioration in health.
- Many borderliners suffer from low self-esteem. Some people feel that they are losing their own significance and do not feel the fact of their existence.
- People with borderline personality disorder suffer from various kinds of mania. Their emotions become uncontrollable; they often have paranoid thoughts. Often they become sexually licentious, and become addicted to alcohol or drugs.
- Such a person's mood changes very quickly. A flash of anger can change dramatically into a good mood and vice versa.
Diagnostics
Mental disorders of various nature have many similar symptoms. It can be difficult to diagnose a disease even with pronounced Borderline symptoms. And treatment should not be started until an accurate diagnosis is established. Borderline personality disorder is often confused with bipolar disorder, social phobias, and depressive states.
Diagnosis is carried out using:
- Physical examination of the patient.
- A detailed study of the medical history.
- Identification of key signs of the disease (there should be at least 5 pieces).
- Carrying out a special test.
Doctors carry out differential diagnostics in order to exclude the patient's presence of other mental illnesses with the same symptoms.
Test
This diagnostic method can be carried out independently. It helps to determine the presence or absence of signs of emotionally unstable personality disorder. Experts say that 4 affirmative answers to the questions are enough to talk about the patient having Borderline syndrome.
- Does it make you feel that someone is manipulating your mind?
- Do you feel that everyone is lying to you?
- Do you hide your desires and thoughts from loved ones?
- Do you notice a frequent change of mood: from hate to love and vice versa?
- Do you feel that you are criticized unreasonably?
- Are you accused of not doing / not speaking?
- Are you afraid to ask for help, believing that others will consider you selfish?
Treatment methods
Borderline personality disorder is a complex disease. Specialists continue to study Borderline syndrome, symptoms and treatment features of the disease. The doctor has to choose the most appropriate therapy. More often, treatment is performed using several methods:
- The use of dialectic therapy.
- The use of cognitive analytical methods.
- The practice of family therapy.
- Medical methods.
Psychotherapeutic treatment
Before starting it, the specialist must enter into confidence in his patient. Psychotherapy sessions should not cause the patient anxiety, a sense of fear and embarrassment.
- Dialectical-behavioral therapy is considered the most effective method of influencing emotionally unstable personality disorder. The doctor allows the patient to look at the situation from various angles and helps to learn to control emotions.
- Cognitive-analytical therapy is aimed at identifying problems that prevent the patient from getting rid of Borderline syndrome. Specialists help the patient develop skills that allow him to fight the disease on his own.
- Family therapy is a must in the treatment of borderline personality disorder. The specialist helps the patient create a friendly atmosphere in his family, which allows him to get rid of feelings of anxiety and internal stress.
Medical treatments
In severe depressive conditions, Borderline disease is treated with the use of drugs. Medical methods of treatment are mandatory when the patient tries to commit suicide or inflict physical harm on himself.
- Lithium salts and anticonvulsants. They help a patient who is in a state of severe depression.
- Antidepressants. Their doctors prescribe for frequent emotional breakdowns, outbursts of rage.
- 2nd generation antipsychotics. They have a positive effect on the general symptoms of the disease.
- Normotimics. These are mood stabilizers that smooth out the manifestation of short temper, dysphoria and mitigate relapses of affective conditions.
How to relate to borderlines?
It’s hard for a person with borderline personality disorder to live. People should be sympathetic to such people, trying to help them. What is borderline and what are the symptoms of this disease has been described above. How to behave with such people? Some practical advice is given by specialists in the field of psychiatry.
- Close people should not support the extremes of the borderline. It is necessary to pay his attention to the fact of the existence of a "golden mean."
- You should carefully push the Borderline to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis of the disease, indicating the need to seek help from a specialist.
- Relatives of the patient should help him in family therapy sessions .
- In conversations and behavior, use special techniques to restrain the impulsivity of the borderline.
Life examples
With timely access to a specialist, diagnosis and the right treatment, borderline personality disorder can be cured. An example is the biography of famous people from the world of culture and show business. Borderline Syndrome has been diagnosed with:
- Angelina Jolie
- Winona Ryder.
- Amy Winehouse.
- Jim Carrey
They were not embarrassed by their illness and made every attempt to get rid of it.