Q. Can a person with BPD, who experiences bouts of rage, become addicted to the rush of adrenaline? The intensity and calm after the storm could be a hard habit to break! Has anyone done any research on the subject?

  A. No one has really looked at it from an adrenaline addiction standpoint. The adrenaline rush to which you refer is more a term for the high folks get when they do something risky. There clearly is a good deal of acting before thinking and taking risks in BPD, and this is noted in the diagnosis of the disease (it is one of the diagnostic criteria).

Adrenaline would make most people nervous or shaky if that was all there is to it. Many folks would get panic attacks if adrenaline were released in excessive amounts. The reason the habit is so hard to break is that it is not a habit, it is a biological phenomena (like breathing) that is not under very much volitional control. Corrective medications reduce or eliminate these impulsive/chaotic behaviors for most.