Quick links to help you easily find the recent Suite101.com articles on BPD, including basic information, treatment and current research.

Borderline Disorder Overview

BPD is a type of psychological personality disorder that interferes with an individual’s ability to regulate emotion. The characteristic emotional instability results in dramatic and sudden shifts in mood, impulsivity, poor self-image, turbulent relationships, and often threats of and attempts at suicide. Prevalence of Borderline Personality Disorder is estimated at 1% to 2% of the general population.

In addition to appropriate drug therapy, psychotherapy has proven to be the most effective means of treating BPD, and in recent years, new therapies such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) have been designed specifically to treat this disorder.

Articles on BPD Include:

Borderline Personality Disorder

BPD is a personality disorder of emotional instability which manifests in dramatic and abrupt shifts in mood, impulsivity, poor self-image and tumultuous interpersonal relationships. People with this disorder are prone to unpredictable outbursts of anger, which sometimes manifests in self-injurious behavior.

Effective Therapies for BPD

Historically, diagnosis and treatment of BPD has been difficult, but there are now therapies designed specifically for Borderline Personality Disorder. This article is an overview of these three approached to treating Borderline Personality Disorder.

Borderline Personality Treatment

A new study published in the June 2007 issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry compared the efficacy of three different therapies commonly used to treat patients suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder: Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Transference-Focused Psychotherapy, and Dynamic Supportive Treatment. All were shown to have a significant effect in reducing symptoms commonly associated with the disorder. However, differences were noted in the specific borderline traits most improved by each therapeutic approach.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

DBT is a a therapeutic approach, designed by Marsha M. Linehan, Ph.D., specifically for chronically suicidal borderline patients. The theory behind Dialectical Behavior Therapy is based on the belief that BPD is a combined result of the patient's emotional vulnerability, lack of skills in controlling emotions, and unsupportive interpersonal environment. These factors cause the patient to be emotionally “dysregulated,” at the mercy of wildly vacillating feelings and unpredictable behaviors.

Transference-Focused Psychotherapy

TFP is an individual psychoanalytic treatment designed particularly for borderline patients. This therapy focuses on revealing the underlying causes of a patient's borderline condition and working to build new, healthier ways for the patient to think and behave. A distinguishing feature of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy is the theory that borderline's perceptions of self, and of others, are split into unrealistic extremes of bad and good. These conflicting dyads are thought be expressed through the specific self-destructive symptoms of BPD.

Cluster B Personality Disorders

Disorders in this cluster are evidenced by dramatic, erratic behaviors and include Histrionic (HPD), Narcissistic (NPD), Antisocial (APD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Antisocial Personality, also referred to as psychopathy or sociopathy, is characterized by lack of empathy or conscience, a difficulty controlling impulses and manipulative behavior.

Time Heals Borderline PD Symptoms

The suffering of those with severe BPD isn’t always a life sentence. According to new Harvard-based research by Zanarini et al, 12 of the 24 symptoms typically associated with BPD showed a marked decline over the course of their 10-year study.

BPD Reseources

There are numerous on-line and in print resources with additional information on personality disorders, including: Psychology Prof Online and the BPD Resource Center.

This page contains links to articles and resources relating to BPD. The contents of this page are not meant to be used for diagnosis and are not a substitute for professional help and counseling.

Additional PD Sources

American Psychiatric Association APA (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR).

Clarkin, J.F., Levy, K.N., Lenzenweger, M.F., and Kenberg, O.F. (2007). Evaluating Three Treatments for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Multiwave Study. The American Journal of Psychaiatry, 164, 6.

Linehan, M. (2003) Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Borderline Personality Disorder. The Journal of the NAMI California, 8, 1.

Yeomans, FE, Clarkin JF, & Kernberg, OF (2002). A Primer of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy for the Borderline Patient. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson.

Zanarini, M., Frankenburg, F., Reich, D. B., Silk, K. et al. (2007) The Subsyndromal Phenomenology of Borderline Personality Disorder: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study. Am J Psychiatry,164, 6.

Here's the follow-up discussion on this article:

View all related messages

For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Tami Port's Personality Disorders topic, please visit the Discussions page.