They have the thinnest skin, the shortest fuses and take the hardest knocks. In psychiatrists' offices, they have long been viewed as among the most challenging patients to treat.
They are the kind of people who drive a friend away for interfering and subsequently berate that friend for abandonment.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, September 09, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 37 words Type of Material: Correction
Borderline personality disorder: An article on borderline personality disorder in Monday's Health section contained a reference to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. The patient advocacy organization is now called the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Monday, September 14, 2009 Home Edition Health Part E Page 9 Features Desk 1 inches; 39 words Type of Material: Correction
Borderline personality disorder: An article on borderline personality disorder in the Sept. 7 Health section contained a reference to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. The patient advocacy organization is now called the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
But almost 20 years after the designation of borderline personality disorder as a recognized mental health condition, some understanding and hope have surfaced for people with the condition and their families.
Borderline personality disorder was center stage in May at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Assn. -- with multiple sessions and speakers devoted to the topic. And the message from the meeting was clear: After years during which they threw up their hands, leaders in psychiatry now want to convey a more positive message about the condition and what can be done to help those who have it.
"Borderline personality disorder is considered a pejorative term," says Dr. Richard G. Hersh, a psychiatrist at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. "But there are new treatments and new data that give reason for optimism."
That is especially significant given results of a survey of more than 24,000 adults, conducted by the federal government and released last year, that found a lifetime prevalence of borderline personality disorder to be almost 6% -- more than double previous estimates.
"The public and patients want to learn more about this condition, and more doctors want to treat it," says Valerie Porr, founder of a national advocacy group called TARA, Association for Personality Disorders.
Messy relationships
"You look back now and see things," says Patricia Green, the mother of a 25-year-old woman diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
As a child, Sooki (a pseudonym) was sensitive and easily rattled. In high school, she had such difficulty making friends that she opted for home schooling.
After high school, the real trouble began. She had a series of turbulent relationships; was fired from jobs and racked up serious credit card debt. She began cutting herself and was diagnosed with depression.
Patricia, a school nurse in San Diego, attended a workshop on borderline personality disorder six years ago and left suspecting her daughter had it. The description seemed to fit Sooki to a T.
"Suddenly, all the things about Sooki that didn't seem to be related were all under one umbrella," Patricia says.
