Borderline Personality Disorder Facts

• Borderline personality disorder is also known as emotional regulation disorder (ERD).�
• ERD is a debilitating biological disorder.
• 2% of adults have this disorder.
• 20% present in psychiatric hospitals.
• 11% in outpatient clinics.
• 69% to 75% exhibit self-destructive behaviors such as self-mutilation, chemical dependency, eating disorders and suicide attempts.
• 8 - 10% die by suicide usually due to lack of impulse control over depression.
• Successful suicide rate doubles with a history of self-destructive behaviors and suicide attempts.
• 50% experience Clinical Depression
• Approximately 25% of those with ERD also meet the criteria for post traumatic stress disorder.
• Of Dual Diagnosed People, 50-67% have ERD.
• Between 40% and 71% of ERD patients report having been sexually abused, usually by a non-caregiver.
• Characteristics of ERD are described here in the DSM IV.
• Most experts in this field agree that ERD is on the wrong axis code. Presently on Axis II. Should be Axis I.
• Diagnosed more often in females - approximately 75%.
• ERD has received very little attention and funding by our nation's health care system.
• Most clinicians are either mis-educated or under-educated about ERD and appropriate treatment. Thus people continue to suffer.
• Those who received standard community based inpatient and outpatient psychiatric treatment show this form of treatment to be marginally ineffective when measured 2-3 years later. 
• Treatable with medication initially and psychodynamic therapy complimented with dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Therapy without proper medications is not recommended by many Drs. in this field.
• Cause of ERD is unclear but it appears to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. More research is needed.
• Severe headaches and migraine appear to be more prevalent in patients with BPD than the general population.
• ERD is highly stigmatized in the world.
• Many clinicians refuse to treat ERD.
• ERD is virtually unknown to the public.
• Studies show inadequate regulation of serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters in those with ERD.
• Discontinuation of medications are high at 50%.
• On the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), ERD patients do not show a common profile. Personality traits appear to be a combination of histrionic, narcissistic, and antisocial personality.
• 22-35% of domestic violent perpetrators meet the criteria for ERD.
• ERD (borderline personality disorder) can be extremely hard on families. Families need support.
• Decreased glucose uptake in medial orbital frontal cortex may be associated with diminished regulation of impulsive behavior in BPD.�
• There is no link between ERD and schizophrenia.�
• Comorbid conditions in BPD may also affect the ability to act responsibly. 4
  

� Borderline Personality Disorder: Proposal to include a supplementary name in the DSM-IV text revision

� Impulsivity and prefrontal hypometabolism in borderline personality disorder.

� Family studies of borderline personality disorder: a review.

4 Moral responsibility and borderline personality disorder.