Borderline personality disorder - Book Report/Review Example

Generally, people with BPD have trouble with controlling their impulses in relationships with other people, they may not be able to control their emotions well, and they may take risks that appear reckless (National Institute of Mental Health, 2013). The prevalence of BPD only affects two percent of the population. In clinical settings, where personality disorders are seen more often, BPD can affect between 30% and 60% of the population. Although BPD is not necessarily hereditary, it does appear more commonly in “first degree biological relatives” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000, para. 12). Generally, the incidences of BPD are not related to a specific culture or to a specific age, although many young adults who abuse drugs may be seen as having BPD because of their behaviors.

Also, about 75% of those diagnosed with BPD are female (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). BPD takes time to be recognized and often the symptoms are present but not diagnosed until the individual is an adult. As an example, a child may have problems with impulse control and may think about suicide, but these characteristics may not be diagnosed as BPD (Gunderson, 2013). Generally, a child may begin to have problems with expressing their feelings and may have challenges with understanding their own motives or the motives of others in relationships.

In about 70% of BPD cases, the individual has a history of sexual or physical abuse. A childhood trauma can mean a child looks for protective relationships, may feel alienation from others and may have intense feelings about situations and/or people (Gunderson, 2013). All of these symptoms can be pre-BPD in nature. Social and cultural attributes to this disease can include a fast paced society, the increased mobility of individuals, and unstable family situations (e.g. abuse, divorce, economic problems) (Gunderson, 2013).

BPD is challenging to diagnose because it