How does borderline personality develop

Unresolved fear, anger and distress from childhood can lead to a variety of distorted adult thinking patterns, such as:. Page last reviewed: 17 July Next review due: 17 July Home Mental health Mental health conditions Borderline personality disorder Back to Borderline personality disorder. Causes - Borderline personality disorder. Genetics Genes you inherit from your parents may make you more vulnerable to developing BPD.

Problem with brain chemicals It's thought that many people with BPD have something wrong with the neurotransmitters in their brain, particularly serotonin. These parts were: the amygdala — which plays an important role in regulating emotions, especially the more "negative" emotions, such as fear, aggression and anxiety the hippocampus — which helps regulate behaviour and self-control the orbitofrontal cortex — which is involved in planning and decision making Problems with these parts of the brain may well contribute to symptoms of BPD.

Environmental factors A number of environmental factors seem to be common and widespread among people with BPD. This is why BPD is now considered a brain disease and not just a psychological condition. Despite the changes in brain structure and functioning that accompany it, borderline personality disorder is still highly amenable to treatment. For BPD sufferers, psychotherapy is an essential element of the recovery process , and that therapy must address their past trauma if it is to be effective.

Mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medications may be prescribed to help individuals cope with their brain-based BPD symptoms, but recovery will remain elusive unless underlying issues that helped fertilize the growth of BPD are brought out into the open and discussed, honestly and sincerely, during trauma-focused therapy sessions. In many cases co-occurring disorders will also be present, and in all likelihood past trauma will be a contributing factor to those conditions as well.

No matter how difficult or painful things may have been, BPD sufferers should know there is reason for hope. One study reported that 85 percent of adults with BPD no longer met the criteria for the disorder 10 years after their initial diagnosis, and this number rose to 99 percent after 16 years in a separate study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Borderline personality symptoms tend to reach their peak of intensity and frequency during young adulthood, when most people are diagnosed, and then decline in severity as a person ages.

But that does not explain these statistics in their entirety. The effectiveness of BPD treatment is another reason for these encouraging numbers, and the sooner a person enters treatment after getting a BPD diagnosis the better their chances of recovery will be.

This is especially true for those who begin their healing process in a fully-staffed residential treatment facility , where they can eliminate distractions and concentrate completely on their program of recovery. Health and wellness are within their grasp, if they refuse to become discouraged and devote themselves fully to overcoming their illness. Borderline Treatment at Bridges.

I went to Bridges to have a dedicated few weeks to work on myself. I feel safer in life now--less afraid of my illness. We are here to listen compassionately. Our free, confidential telephone consultation will help you find the best treatment program for you. We can also guide you in approaching a loved one who needs treatment. Skip to content Admissions Search for:.

Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder. Genetic Factors and Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline personality disorder does run in families. Call for a Free Confidential Assessment. Residential Treatment Can Provide Relief Email Us. Environment Influences and Borderline Personality Disorder Environmental factors, which in this case means exposure to childhood trauma, loss, and neglect, also plays a role in the onset of borderline personality disorder.

Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. If you or a loved one has borderline personality disorder BPD , you may be wondering what caused it or if you are to blame. The development of this disorder is complex, and there are likely a variety of potential causes, so it's unlikely that one person or thing is at fault.

The exact causes of BPD are not yet known, but most experts believe that BPD develops as a result of biological, genetic, and environmental factors. The following are theories that have some support in support but are by no means conclusive. More research is needed to determine how and why the factors discussed below are related to BPD.

There is strong evidence to support a link between distressing childhood experiences, particularly involving caregivers, and the development of BPD. The types of childhood experiences that may be associated with BPD include:. It is thought that interaction between biological factors and an invalidating childhood environment may work together in predisposing a person to develop BPD.

An emotionally invalidating environment is one in which a child's emotional needs are not met. An invalidating environment is not always evident to those who have experienced it or to others around them.

These painful experiences can be hidden and even disguised as praise. Not everyone who has BPD has had these types of childhood experiences—although a large number have.

And not everyone who has these types of experiences will have BPD. It is likely that a combination of factors, rather than a single cause, is responsible for most cases of borderline personality disorder. While early studies showed that BPD does tend to run in families , for some time, it was not known whether this was because of environmental influences or because of genetics. There is now some evidence that in addition to the environment, genetic factors play a significant role.

In particular, studies have shown that a variation in a gene that controls the way the brain uses serotonin a natural chemical in the brain may be related to BPD. It appears that people who have this specific genetic variation may be more likely to develop BPD if they also experience difficult childhood events for example, separation from supportive caregivers.

One study found that monkeys with the serotonin gene variation developed symptoms that looked similar to BPD, but only when they were taken from their mothers and raised in less nurturing environments. Monkeys with the gene variation who were raised by nurturing mothers were much less likely to develop BPD-like symptoms. Several studies have shown that people with BPD have differences in both the structure of their brain and brain function. BPD has been associated with excessive activity in parts of the brain that control the experience and expression of emotion.