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Biology, Blame, Borderline Personality Disorder, Emotions, Odds and Ends, Resources, Stats, Validation
Follow the Yellow Click Road
Apparently, someone over at Welcome to Oz (WTO) Internet list posted a message asking about me and what I am all about concerning BPD and Non-BPs. This lead to a huge spike in traffic with my average number of accesses basically doubling over the weekend. I’m still a member of WTO, so I decided to login and take a look at what people are saying about me over there. I haven’t posted in years and haven’t logged in in months. Obviously, there are many, many new people who have no idea who I am or what I’m about. There are a few members still hanging around who do remember me.…
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Amitriptyline and BPD
For some reason, I get a lot of searches on this blog about Amitriptyline and BPD. I posted a note on Amitriptyline and Xanax and their interaction with BPD. I still get a lot of hits on that brief snippet, even though I wrote it back in 2006. I also spelled Amitriptyline with two “l’s” as amitryptilline (Elavil). I’m not sure which is the correct spelling, but I’ll put them both here so people searching can get hits on this post. Here’s some information on Amitriptyline studies: Amitriptyline (Antidepressant Tricyclic) Soloff PH, George A, Nathan RS, Schulz PM, Perel JM. 1987 Psychopharmacol Bull.23 – Behavioral dyscontrol in borderline patients treated…
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Sleep and BPD
One of the physical aspects of BPD is problems with sleep. People with BPD are likely to have trouble going to sleep and trouble getting up in the morning. One of the reasons is the “ruminating” aspect of BPD. Another seems to be that their brain chemistry is configured in such a way to utilize serotonin ineffectively. Many people with BPD will require sleep medications and sometimes will take these medications in large doses. Some people find that these comfortable ear plugs for sleeping, really help them sleep at night. This inability to sleep and awake punctually can also contribute to a visit to the disciplinary board or getting fired…
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Four reasons bipolar disorder is accepted and borderline personality disorder is not
I am often asked why Borderline Personality Disorder is not as recognized and as accepted as bipolar disorder . I think there are four main reasons: No celebrity has come out and announced that they have the disorder. While several celebrities have said they have bipolar disorder (just search on the Internet and you’ll see), no celebrity has announced they have BPD. Why? Probably because of the stigma (see below). There are certainly candidates for the disorder, but no poster child yet. Many people believe that BPD is just a case of the person behaving badly. Non-BPs are definitely guilty of this in spades. The behaviors associated with the disorder –…
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Genetics and BPD
In this study, researchers posit that traits associated with BPD are inherited (impulsivity and emotional regulation). Here is a quote from the abstract: The effect of genes on the development of BPD is likely substantial. The effect of common family environment may be close to zero. While the study doesn’t conclude that BPD is 100% inherited, it does point to certain genetic factors in the BPD adaptive behaviors (or maladaptive). The main point of posting this is to chip away at the myth that BPD and other personality disorders are all the “fault” of parenting or abusive environments. One of the big problems that I have seen in the social,…
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Hypersensitivty to Sensory Stimulation
I recently saw a thread in which borderlines were discussing their “hypersensitivity” to certain sensory stimulation. If you know my story, you know that one of my daughters has dysfunctional emotional reactions. I like to think of that as pre-BPD. I hope that the actual onset of full BPD can be avoided. One of the things that has started happening with her more and more is she has developed a sensitivity to certain foods. She can’t eat certain foods and she finds certain smells offensive. The other day she found the milk smelled sour, even when it was not sour for everyone else in the family. I think this hypersensitivity…