By Dr. Deepak Kelkar, Psychiatry

Borderline Personality Disorder, often abbreviated as BPD is a psychological condition. People suffering from this condition generally do not have a clear identity, can harm themselves and have serious difficulties in maintaining relationships. This particular condition is usually characterized by a lack of ability to manage your emotions properly.

Symptoms
People suffering from a borderline personality disorder can be highly functional in several situations which do not require active emotional involvement. However, most of them tend to show careless behavior and they are quite impulsive as well. Other psychological conditions like anxiety problems, depression or behavioral disorders can often develop along with borderline personality disorder. Inclination towards drug abuse and eating problems is also observed in certain cases.

Causes
The exact cause of borderline personality disorder has not been identified yet. Generally, researchers generally tend to point towards genetic factors and abnormalities in brain development as principal causes of borderline personality disorder. Factors like family environment are also known to play a role in the development of this particular condition. People who have suffered from any sort of emotional, sexual or physical abuse are also quite prone to developing borderline personality disorder.

Diagnosis
It is quite difficult to diagnose borderline personality disorder. It is often misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder. It is therefore quite important to carefully examine the symptoms of the patient. The diagnosis process generally consists of a one to one session with the psychiatric expert. The patient is asked to identify with several behavioral traits of borderline personality disorder. If the person identifies with a large number of traits, then he/she is said to be suffering from borderline personality disorder.

Treatment
Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder generally consists of psychotherapy or taking certain medications. Usually, psychotherapy is the most preferred treatment procedure when it comes to borderline personality disorder. There are mainly three psychotherapeutic techniques which are generally used – these techniques are:

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy which helps to change the negative attitude in terms of the behavior of the individual.

2. Mental therapy which basically helps individuals to develop empathy towards others and to become conscious of their internal states.

3. Dialectical behavioral therapy which helps people to regulate their emotions in a better manner.