Is Your Parent Dealing
With Borderline
Personality Disorder?

• Biological or genetic factors – people with BPD show heightened activity in the limbic system, an area of the brain that controls fear, anger and aggression
• Relationships with caregivers and significant others in early childhood that were particularly problematic
• Traumatic life experiences such as abuse, neglect, death of parents as well as miscarriage or death of their child
• Stressful social circumstances including financial and work strains, midlife crisis, as well as relationship and family problems
• Difficulty in learning how to deal with emotions because of their experiences with other people, often during early childhood

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can develop at a very young age and impede children’s growth. If not properly addressed, they can carry this mental health condition to adolescence and through to adulthood.

Other symptoms from mental health conditions like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can also display BPD-like qualities in adults but are not necessarily part of the diagnosis for Borderline Personality Disorder. As such, it is necessary to get your parent to a GP or a Psychiatrist so that they can receive professional medical help appropriate for their condition.

A diagnosis involves systematic interviews alongside ruling out other behavioural and mental health conditions. For adults to be diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), they must experience constant or periodical extreme mood changes on most days for at least 6 months.

Psychotherapy is the best treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder, with Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) being the most recommended therapy. The focus is on developing healthy behaviours in an emotional crisis when the person tends to default to unhelpful long-term behaviours such as suicidal behaviours or self-harm.

Since each adult’s case is unique, it’s best to bring your mum or dad to a GP or a Psychiatrist that specialises in treating adults. This way, the professional can get devise a holistic treatment plan that can address the medical, physical, social and emotional aspects of the mental health condition.

The therapy works with concepts such as mindfulness or being in the present moment, which helps the individual to be aware of negative emotions and behaviours. It also teaches skills in how to tolerate negative emotions and how to communicate effectively with others, thus dealing with distress more effectively.

Medication can be part of the treatment plan described by the psychiatrist. If depression, anxiety or extreme distorted thinking are prevalent as part of the condition, anti-depressant or anti-psychotic medication may be prescribed.