Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness that can be challenging for everyone involved, 
including the individuals with the illness, as well their friends and family members. BPD is characterized by impulsivity and instability in mood, self-image, and personal relationships. The treatments and longer-term studies of BPD offer hope for good outcomes for most individuals who live with BPD. Ideas to name the condition in a manner that better describes the pattern of concerns (e.g., Emotion Dysregulation Disorder) have been advanced but no name change to the condition is planned for the release of DSM-5.
BPD is just as serious as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD or PTSD. It affects 5.9 of the general population. One out of every 10 people with BPD commits suicide. It accounts for around 20% of all psychiatric hospitalizations and 11% of outpatients.
Now we know that BPD actually affects men in equal numbers as women. We learned that by using a sample of the entire community rather than those select few in a mental health setting. (We also found that the borderline population is 5.9 percent, not 2 percent.)
The exact causes of BPD remain unknown, although the roles of both environmental and biological factors are thought to play a role in people who develop this illness. While no specific gene has been shown to directly cause BPD, a number of different genes have been identified as playing a role in its development. The brain’s functioning, as seen in MRI testing, is often different in people with BPD, suggesting that there is a neurological basis for some of the symptoms associated with BPD.
Recent research based on long-term studies of people with BPD suggests that the overwhelming majority of people will experience significant and long-lasting periods of symptom remission in the lifetime. Many people will not experience a complete recovery (e.g., problems with self-esteem and the ability to form and maintain relationships may linger), but nonetheless will be able to live meaningful and productive lives.
borderline personality disorder 