Feeling moody? Could be BPD

BPD is a a personality disorder. BPD also develops from childhood and comes to prominence during adolescence when emotions are at their peak. With age, there will be a calming down of emotions and improvement in BPD.

What are the causes?

The etiology of BPD is not completely clear. It is partly due to genetic factors and partly due to bad parenting or sexual abuse during childhood.

What are the symptoms?

One of the defining features of ‘moody people’ is emotional instability and sensitiveness in close relations.

What is the treatment?

As people with BPD are unaware of their defects, they tend to refuse the proposal of visiting a counsellor. Long-term counselling is found to be useful in treating BPD. Some medication also works to a certain extent.

In a few difficult cases, the patient may have to be separated from his/her family and admitted to a rehabilitation centre.

What does the doctor say?

People with BPD are not tolerant of others flaws. They also suffer from host of other problems. Disturbances in self-image is an important feature too.

It can lead to frequent changes in career, long-term goals and values. They might suffer form insomnia, anxiety or other bodily symptoms.

Dr Sudhir Hebbar, consultant psychiatrist,  Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore