Question

1. What is the main causal factor of Border line personality disorder? Research has also found evidence for genetic factors; how can both be related?

2. How did Amanda cause difficulty for the patients and staff in the psychiatric hospital? How could staff handle this better?

3. Why do therapists find it difficult to treat this disorder? What specific symptoms and behaviors can be challenging?

4. Which treatment would you use if you were the therapist of a patient with Borderline personality disorder, Kernberg's object relations therapy or Linehan's Dialectical Behavior Therapy ? Why?

Answer 1

Answer 1) Brain abnormalities is of one of the main causal factors related to Borderline personality disorder. Brain abnormalities and genetics are related in the context of inheritance of dysfunctionality in the chemicals that regulate mood, such as serotonin, which may not function properly.

Answer 3) Therapists find it difficult to treat BPD, as diagnosing the disorder itself is difficult. Sometimes patients are misdiagnosed as the symptoms of BPD intersect with those of other personality disorders. For example- Depression and anxiety, self-harming behavior, impulsive behaviors, etc, can be closely associated with other personality disorders such as bipolar disorder, paranoid personality disorder, etc.

Answer 4) As a therapist, I would use Linehan's Dialectical Behavior Therapy, also known as "talk therapy" as it aims at addressing the symptoms of BPD by replacing maladaptive behaviors, which have scope for developing healthier coping skills, such as emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, etc. Dialectical Behavior Therapy has also been proven to reduce outcomes such as suicidal behavior, hospitalization, anger, interpersonal difficulties, anger, substance abuse, and treatment dropout.