The Role of Early Childhood Trauma in Developing Borderline Personality Disorder
- whereemotionsflow
- Nov 30, 2024
- 3 min read
By Iqra Waheed
WHAT ARE PERSONALITY DISORDERS? A personality disorder is a mental health condition that involves long-lasting, all-encompassing, disruptive patterns of thinking, behavior, mood and relating to others. These patterns can cause a person significant distress and/or impair their ability to function.
(Cleveland Clinic, 2022)
WHAT IS CHILDHOOD TRAUMA? A traumatic event is a scary, dangerous, or violent event. Childhood trauma refers to a traumatic event that happens to a child (0-18 years of age). This type of event may also happen to someone your child knows and your child is impacted as a result of seeing or hearing about the other person being hurt.
(Center For Child Trauma Assessment, Services and Interventions, n.d.)
WHICH PERSONALITY DISORDER IS MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP DUE TO CHILDHOOD TRAUMA: A study found a link between childhood traumas and development of personality disorders. People with borderline personality disorders had especially high rates of childhood sexual trauma.
(American Psychological Association, 2010)
WHAT IS BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER? Young people with BPD may: ● have an unstable sense of self with quickly changing interests
● have patterns of intense and unstable relationships
● engage in impulsive and dangerous behaviors
● experience very strong emotions
● experience suicidal thoughts and ideations
● fear of abandonment
● hear voices or other visual and auditory delusions
HOW COMMON IS CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH BPD? Research suggests that between 30% and 90% of individuals with BPD experience some form of abuse or neglect during childhood. Significantly more people with BPD experience childhood trauma— and especially severe forms of trauma— than those without. Some experts understand BPD features as a normal response to traumatic events and difficult circumstances.
CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER: Many forms of childhood trauma happen in the family environment. This may include childhood abuse by caregivers, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. It also includes neglect and circumstances where a child’s needs are not met. During their early relationships with
parents or caregivers, children learn about their identities, how to regulate their emotions, and how to behave in ways that maintain their relationships with others. When children experience abuse or neglect, these learning processes can be disrupted, preventing them from developing effective emotional and social skills and a balanced view of themselves and others. Children who experience abuse or neglect may develop a negative view of themselves because of the way they are treated and blame themselves for their mistreatment while becoming untrusting of others. This may lead to low self-worth and a fear of abandonment – a core feature of BPD.
(Yassin, 2024)
EFFECT OF BPD ON MENTAL HEALTH: People with borderline personality disorder often have other mental health conditions, including:
● Anxiety disorders
● Mood disorders
● Substance use disorder
● Eating disorders
● ADHD
● Bipolar disorder
TREATMENT: Types of therapy that can help treat BPD include:
● Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
● Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
● Group Therapy
(Cleveland Clinic, 2022)
REFERENCES
● Yassin, F. (2024, June 28). Exploring the Link Between Family Trauma and BPD https://thewaveclinic.com/blog/exploring-link-between-family-trauma-and-bpd/#:~:text=Childr en%20who%20experience%20abuse%20or,a%20core%20feature%20of%20BPD.
● American Psychological Association. (2010). What Causes Personality Disorders. American Psychological Association
https://www.apa.org/topics/personality-disorders/causes#:~:text=Childhood%20trauma.&text =One%20study%20found%20a%20link,rates%20of%20childhood%20sexual%20trauma.
● Cleveland Clinic. (2022, May 20). Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Cleveland Clinic.
● Center for Child Trauma Assessment, Services, and Interventions. (n.d.). What is Child Trauma?. Northwestern University.
Comments