"Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a common personality disorder that involves difficulties with intimate relationships, problems handling emotional states like anger and sadness, impulsivity, and suicidality. The causes are complex and not well understood. Several factors are involved, including early loss or separation from parents, childhood abuse, problematic interactions with parents or caretakers, genetic and temperamental vulnerabilities, and neurological/biochemical dysfunction. The exact combination of these factors may vary from one person to the next. Treatment involves psychotherapy, medication and a structured living environment where social support is available.

When the patient is extremely suicidal, hospitalization is necessary, but most patients with BPD can do well with a structured outpatient program involving individual and group therapy and medication. Several medications may help, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), like fluoxetine (Prozac), lithium, carbamazepine (Tegretol), and Clozaril (clozapine)."

Glen O. Gabbard, M.D. 
Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Baylor 
Psychiatry Clinic
Baylor College of Medicine 
6655 Travis, Suite 500 
Houston, Texas 77030 
713-798-6397 
Fax 713-798-7984 
http://public.bcm.tmc.edu/psych/ 

Compliments of Glen Gabbard M.D.

Some books that Glen O. Gabbard, M.D. has authored or co-authored:

To order directly, just click on the book.

Management of Countertransference With Borderline Patients
Borderline Personality Disorder : Tailoring the Psychotherapy to the Patient
Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders
Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice
Boundaries and Boundary Violations in Psychoanalysis
Love and Hate in the Analytic Setting (Library of Object Relations)
Medical Marriages
Study Guide to Treatments of Psychiatrics Disorders
With the Eyes of the Mind : An Empirical Analysis of Out of Body States