Mental illness characterised by changes in mood, behaviour and interpersonal relationships.
This disease's origin is multifactorial, with biological and psychosocial factors coming into play.
It is characterised by difficulty regulating emotions and thoughts, impulsive and reckless behaviour, unstable relationships with others, anxiety, a feeling of emptiness, depression, emotional lability, eating disorders, substance abuse and episodes of uncontrollable anger. In some cases, self-damaging and suicidal behaviours may also be present.
It is usually diagnosed in the teenage years and early young adulthood through a structured clinical interview.
Its main treatment is based on psychotherapy, although some other symptoms may require psychoactives.
- Andrew Skodol. Borderline personality disorder: Epidemiology, clinical features, course, assessment, diagnosis, and differential diagnosis. UpToDate, Feb 09, 2016.
- Andrew Skodol. Treatment of borderline personality disorder. UpToDate, Feb 23, 2016.
- Paris J. The treatment of borderline personality disorder: implications of research on diagnosis, etiology, and outcome. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2009; 5:277.
- Bender DS, Skodol AE, Pagano ME, et al. Prospective assessment of treatment use by patients with personality disorders. Psychiatr Serv 2006; 57:254.
- Lenzenweger MF, Lane MC, Loranger AW, Kessler RC. DSM-IV personality disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biol Psychiatry 2007; 62:553.
- Stanley B, Siever LJ. The interpersonal dimension of borderline personality disorder: toward a neuropeptide model. Am J Psychiatry 2010; 167:24.
