Ask the Therapist
Cause of BPD
I am a BPD patient, who is currently receiving cognitive behavioral
therapy treatment. I have been dealing with my problems, in the present, and not dwelling on the past.
I told my mother years ago that I had BPD, but she refused to accept I had anything wrong with me. I made the effort to let her know that I was in therapy again, and she claimed 2 days ago that she thought "everyone is BPD" to today she read a few articles on it and now knows EVERYTHING. She claims that BPD is genetic, and I have been living by the "old model". My mom neglected me as a child and verbally abused me severely (I would have rather been beaten with a hot poker) I am really trying to find myself at 37 years old
BPD is not genetic, although there is some research to suggest an inherited
tendency -- however, this line of research has been conducted with identical twins and that, in and of itself, poses problems of reliability (consistency in findings over time and conditions) and generalization. It is, by common wisdom, a socially
learned/acculturated set of emotional non-coping skills that is informed by biological predisposition to depression and anxiety, along with other factors that are psychosocial in nature.
To say that the psychogenesis of any disorder is irrelevant is a rather extreme position, in my opinion, but it is valid with reference to some therapeutic models.
I suspect what the author was attempting to get across was more that it is most important to deal with the here and now, rather than dwell on the past. Especially in the case of the BP, there is a tendency to ruminate, almost obsess. And this, in concert with the BPs tendency to place blame, real or imagined, elsewhere is a recipe for getting stuck.
Please note that Michael is writing up a new "Cause of
BPD" page that shall be up shortly.
