Symptoms of BPD
A persistent sense of inner hollowness often experienced by people with BPD
Answer: What are chronic feelings of emptiness
The gold-standard therapy for BPD,
Answer: What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)?
A family history of mental illness increases this type of risk.
Answer: What is genetic risk?
This brain region, often overactive in people with BPD, is involved in emotional responses like fear and anger.
Answer: What is the amygdala?
What is splitting?
This DBT skill group helps people better manage painful emotions without resorting to harmful behaviors.
Answer: What are distress tolerance skills?
Exposure to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse in childhood increases the risk for BPD.
Answer: What is early trauma?
This part of the brain, responsible for decision-making and impulse control, may function less effectively in individuals with BPD.
Answer: What is the prefrontal cortex?
This intense emotional experience causes people with BPD to react strongly to seemingly minor events.
Answer: What is emotional dysregulation?
This therapy focuses on changing distorted thinking and behavior patterns.
Answer: What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
A chaotic or invalidating childhood home can be considered this kind of risk factor.
Answer: What is an environmental risk factor?
Research shows BPD may involve decreased connectivity between emotional and rational brain areas, especially between these two specific regions.
Answer: What are the amygdala and prefrontal cortex?
A symptom marked by self-damaging behaviors like reckless spending or unsafe behaviors like substance use or reckless driving
Answer: What is impulsivity?
This type of medication may be prescribed to help regulate mood and reduce anxiety in BPD.
Answer: What are antidepressants?
BPD has been linked to irregularities in this emotion-processing brain structure.
Answer: What is the amygdala?
This term refers to the brain’s ability to change and adapt through experience, which therapy can use to “rewire” emotional responses in BPD.
Answer: What is neuroplasticity?
These thoughts may involve feeling detached from one’s body or reality, often during stress.
Answer: What are dissociative symptoms?
This class of medications, including lithium and lamotrigine, may be used to help reduce impulsivity and emotional intensity in people with BPD.
Answer: What are mood stabilizers?
Insecure or disorganized attachments during childhood may contribute to BPD due to disruptions in this.
Answer: What is early attachment?
MRI studies have shown that this memory-related brain structure may be smaller in some individuals with BPD, especially those with trauma histories.
Answer: What is the hippocampus?