CHRISTIAN SINGLE’S GUIDE TO PERSONALITY DISORDERS
WHICH CAUSE DEPRESSION FOR BOTH THE PERPETRATOR AND THEIR VICTIMS
Chapter 25 Warning- A Christian Single’s Dating Disaster:
Narcissism And Other Personality Disorders
Borderline Personality Disorder
Treatment
Treatments for BPD have improved in recent years. Group and
individual psychotherapy are at least partially effective for many
patients. Within the past 15 years, a new psychosocial treatment
termed dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was developed specifically
to treat BPD, and this technique has looked promising in treatment
studies. Pharmacological treatments are often prescribed based on
specific target symptoms shown by the individual patient.
Antidepressant drugs and mood stabilizers may be helpful for depressed
and/or labile mood. Antipsychotic drugs may also be used when there
are distortions in thinking.
Recent Research Findings
Although the cause of BPD is unknown, both environmental and
genetic factors are thought to play a role in predisposing patients to
BPD symptoms and traits. Studies show that many, but not 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 by a non-caregiver. Researchers believe
that BPD results from a combination of individual vulnerability to
environmental stress, neglect or abuse as young children, and a series
of events that trigger the onset of the disorder as young adults.
Adults with BPD are also considerably more likely to be the victim of
violence, including rape and other crimes. This may result from both
harmful environments as well as impulsivity and poor judgement in
choosing partners and lifestyles.
NIMH-funded neuroscience research is revealing brain mechanisms
underlying the impulsivity, mood instability, aggression, anger, and
negative emotion seen in BPD. Studies suggest that people predisposed
to impulsive aggression have impaired regulation of the neural
circuits that modulate emotion. The amygdala, a small almond-shaped
structure deep inside the brain, is an important component of the
circuit that regulates negative emotion. In response to signals from
other brain centers indicating a perceived threat, it marshals fear
and arousal. This might be more pronounced under the influence of
drugs like alcohol, or stress. Areas in the front of the brain
(pre-frontal area) act to dampen the activity of this circuit. Recent
brain imaging studies show that individual differences in the ability
to activate regions of the prefrontal cerebral cortex thought to be
involved in inhibitory activity predict the ability to suppress
negative emotion.
