Jane Brody, who writes the Personal Health column for The New York Times, has tackled the challenging subject of borderline personality disorder (BPD).

BPD is more common than schizophrenia and which goes untreated far more often than schizophrenia.

The patient, and everyone around these patients, pays when they are not diagnosed and treated.  Equally importantly, families do not know what their roles are or what coping methods work best.

What is a BPD patient like?  “People with the disorder are said to have a thin emotional skin and often behave like 2-year-olds, throwing tantrums when some innocent word, gesture, facial expression or action by others sets off an emotional storm they cannot control. The attacks can be brutal, pushing away those they care most about. Then, when the storm subsides, they typically revert to being “sweet and wonderful,” as one family member put it,” Brody reports.

If you are affected by someone at home or work who behaves this way, Brody’s column is packed with information and additional resources.  You will want to read and share it with your extended family.

New York Times

….”In an effort to maintain calm, families often struggle to avoid situations that can set off another outburst. They walk on eggshells, a doomed effort because it is not possible to predict what will prompt an outburst. Living with a borderline person is like traversing a minefield; you never know when an explosion will occur.”

“Borderline personality disorder afflicts about 2 percent of the general population, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, and it is twice as common as a much better-known disorder, schizophrenia. (Other studies suggest the prevalence is as high as 6 percent.) Many borderline patients hurt themselves, and 10 percent die by suicide.”

Brody interviewed Marsha M. Linehan, a psychologist at the University of Washington who devised the leading treatment for borderline disorder, the column says.

“Yet as common and serious a problem as it is, Dr. Linehan said that patients often have difficulty getting the help they need — partly because therapists tend to regard borderline patients as manipulative and demanding of an inordinate amount of time and attention.”

Source: New York Times, June 15, 2009