Image source: Freepics.com The most up-to-date research into the causes of borderline personality disorder (BPD) indicates that the following two factors are especially likely to put a young person at risk of developing BPD in later life. These are : 1) Biparental dysfunction – in essence, this means that there is an enduring, seriously problematic relationship …
BPD : Effects Of Biparental Dysfunction and Invalidation Read More »
In several of my previous posts on the topic of borderline personality disorder (BPD), I have referred to how those who suffer from this serious condition tend to be highly impulsive, and, as might be anticipated, research now shows that this tendency towards impulsivity is likely to extend into sexual behaviours. Indeed, many empirical studies have …
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Sexuality Read More »
‘We are never so defenceless against suffering as when we love, never so unhelplessly unhappy as when we have lost our loved object or its love’ Sigmund Freud, 1856 – 1939 My mother threw me out of the house when I was thirteen years old, so it was necessary for me to go and live …
Obsessions are a symptom of an underlying anxiety disorder and materialize as a result of great stress such as severe emotional injury during childhood. In order to escape a world of intolerable psychological pain and other mental health problems, the person suffering from obsessive love disorder escapes into a world of fantasy and …
Are You Addicted To Love? Four Types Of Love Addict Read More »
It is a politically sensitive debate, but in the light of solid scientific findings, it is necessary to have the courage to address such matters. Childhood trauma has been linked in several research studies with sexual addiction/compulsion due to the dissociative state it produces sadomasochism, prostitution, and homosexuality. What Do LGBT Individuals Believe To Be …
One of the main reasons that borderline personality disorder (BPD) is sometimes believed to be a misdiagnosis is that it has symptoms in common with other disorders, two of which of these are : 1) Asperger’s Syndrome (a milder form of autism). 2) Bipolar Disorder. This used to be called manic-depression – its …
Why Asperger’s And Bipolar Can Be Misdiagnosed As BPD. Read More »
Those who go on to develop borderline personality disorder (BPD) almost invariably grew up as children in highly dysfunctional families in which the parent/s was/were emotionally unstable. I have written about BPD extensively in other articles on this site (to access them, simply type ‘BPD’ into the site’s search box) so I will only briefly recap upon …
Highly Dysfunctional Families and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Read More »
It has been often stated in my posts that personality disorders are often linked to traumatic childhoods. I have already described several personality disorders, but I would like to introduce you to some we have not met before. I also wish to introduce the psychiatric concept of clusters. There are very many personality disorders, …
Personality Disorder Clusters and Severity Questionnaire Read More »
As far as diet is concerned, there are good fats and bad fats. The fats we put into our bodies are of particular importance because of their effect upon brain functioning. Again, some fats have a very positive effect upon the brain, whilst others have a damaging effect. Fats of great benefit to the brain …
Treating Conditions Linked To Childhood Trauma Eating Omega-3 Fats Read More »
Above image: Creative Commons Licence DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (DBT), devised by Marsha Linehan, the founder of Behavioral Tech, has been found to be particularly effective in treating those who, in part due to their childhood experiences, have gone on to develop BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER (BPD). Five skills are central to dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT); …
Study Shows Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Improves Brain Functioning. Read More »
Above image: Creative Commons Licence DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY (DBT), which helps individuals develop skills of mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness (see diagram above for more detail) is an exciting, relatively new treatment option for those suffering from BPD. It is a therapy which has elements in common with cognitive behavioural therapy …
4 Vital Elements Of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy For Treatment Of BPD Read More »
In our response to stress resulting from our childhood trauma and other factors we often develop psychological DEFENSE MECHANISMS in an attempt to protect ourselves (though, very often, we are not consciously aware that many behaviours/defence mechanisms we have developed in order to try to reduce the adverse effects of stress (though not all, eg …
Childhood Trauma : Defense Mechanisms Resulting from Stress. Read More »
Main Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms : Recent research has led to an expansion of the description of the main borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms. Following the development of the Sheldern Western Assessment Procedure 200 (an assessment tool which includes 200 questions that aid in the diagnosis of BPD) experts, based on up-to-date research, …
Individuals suffering from psychiatric conditions such as borderline personality disorder (BPD) find there are a vast array of therapies on offer purporting to be able to effectively treat them. The choice can seem overwhelming and confusing. In the case of BPD, however, although many different therapists may claim that the particular therapy that they offer …
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) : Further Treatment Options. Read More »
One outcome of childhood trauma can frequently be that the person who has suffered it is prone to develop IDENTITY PROBLEMS. A person’s identity represents their attempt to pin down the essential elements he sees (rather than what others see) that make the individual who s/he is. One’s identity develops over time. Our identity …
Childhood Trauma: Identity Problems and How to Tackle Them. Read More »
Because childhood trauma has frequently been linked to the later development of borderline personality disorder (BPD), I have devoted a whole category of this blog to the analysis of that particular condition (see CATEGORIES section). However, as childhood trauma can also contribute to other personality disorders (for example, see the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders …
Childhood Trauma: The Five Main Personality Disorders. Read More »
When a child is continually mistreated, s/he will inevitably conclude that s/he must be innately bad. This is because s/he has a need (at an unconscious level) to preserve the illusion that her/his parents are good; this can only …
Childhood Trauma: How The Child’s View Of Their Own ‘Badness’ Is Perpetuated. Read More »
Childhood Trauma And Gambling Addiction : Research suggests that childhood trauma increases the likelihood of future addictions, including gambling. This gambling may become pathological. The types of childhood trauma that were experienced in pathological gamblers include violence, sexual abuse and loss. For instance, Jacobs (2008) conducted research demonstrating that childhood trauma greatly increased the …
Childhood Trauma: The Link with Future Gambling. Read More »
A quick search of the internet reveals a very large range of therapies on offer which purports to treat BPD effectively. Indeed, the sheer range of putative treatments can seem confusing and overwhelming. It is for this reason that I concentrate on just six treatments that research suggests are the most beneficial. Let’s look …
