Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder

Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder

The cause of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is similar to a number personality disorders: unknown, with both environmental and genetic factors thought to play a role.

Researchers suspect a combination of vulnerability to environmental stress, neglect or abuse as young children, and a series of events that trigger the onset of the disorder as young adults. Adults with BPD are considerably more likely to be the victim of violence, including rape. This may be associated with impulsivity and poor judgment in choosing partners and lifestyles, as well as harmful environments. As many as 71 percent of BPD patients report having been sexually abused, usually by a non-caregiver.

Borderline personality is two to three times more common among women than among men, possibly due to genetic or hormonal influences. Another factor may be incestuous experiences, which are far more common among women.

Recent neuroscience research has revealed brain mechanisms underlying the impulsivity, mood instability, aggression, anger, and negative emotion characteristic of BPD. Ongoing studies focus on the brain and on the effect of childhood abuse and other stress on brain hormones.

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