Emotional Dependence In Borderline Personality Disorder
A personality disorder is defined as an imbalance based on a rigid and unhealthy pattern of thinking. This term encompasses a set of disturbances or abnormalities that occur in affective dimensions, social relationships with individuals, and motivational areas. Up to 60% of psychiatric patients have some type of personality disorder, so it is considered the most common diagnosis in psychiatry.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD or BPD) is defined as a personality disorder characterized by emotional instability , extremely polarized and dichotomous thoughts, chaotic interpersonal relationships and marked impulsivity. It is included within cluster-B at the diagnostic level, within the so-called “dramatic-emotional” disorders. It shares a category with histrionic personality disorder, narcissistic and antisocial.
The prevalence of BPD is estimated to be 1.6% within the general population, but it represents 20% of psychiatric patients. These figures could be biased and the prevalences are surely much higher, due to the social stigma that (unfortunately) still entails being diagnosed with a psychological disorder. In the following lines, We explore the relationship of emotional dependence in Borderline Personality Disorder. Do not miss it.
The diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Before diving into the correlation between both events, we find it necessary to give the public a series of insights into the characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DMS-5), ratified in 2013 by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), sets the standard when it comes to the diagnosis of mental disorders.
According to this source, The patient with BPD must present at least 5 of the following traits for more than a year :
In addition to all these interesting data, medical research such as Borderline Personality Disorder (StatPearls, NCBI) stipulate that Borderline Personality Disorder It arises as a combination of genetic predisposition combined with events during childhood and certain neurobiological dysfunctions. It has been detected that the heritability pattern of BPD is 50%, even higher than depressive disorders. On the other hand, up to 70% of patients have experienced violence, sexual abuse or neglect during childhood.
Emotional dependence and BPD
In the first point of the diagnosis of this pathology, It is evident that emotional dependence and Borderline Personality Disorder are widely linked. The patient with BPD is characterized by a marked feeling of emptiness and, in addition, has an irrational (and unjustified) fear of being abandoned by the people around him. In any case, beyond “obvious” causalities, we require scientific sources that confirm our suspicions.
The study Dependency, mood instability, and inconsequence traits for discriminating borderline personality disorderpublished in 2019, explores the correlation of BPD with emotional dependence, emotional instability and inconsistency. To do this, a total of 305 patients were taken, divided into 3 groups: diagnosed with BPD, patients with other personality disorders and a standard sample group, that is, a non-pathological sector of the population.
After that, a standardized survey (IDCP-2) was carried out on each of the people in all the sample groups, composed of 206 questions that could be rated from 1 to 4, from “it has nothing to do with me” to “it defines me.” This questionnaire quantifies the factors most related to Borderline Personality Disorder, such as self-devaluation, insecurity, anxiety, fear of abandonment, self-image problems, impulsivity, risky decision-making, etc.
In the statistical analysis, a significant correlation was demonstrated between patients with BPD and emotional dependence, but also with emotional instability and inconsistency. Furthermore, it was observed that, within the factors included in the “dependency” sector (self-devaluation, fear of abandonment and insecurity), fear of abandonment was the best predictor of all. This makes a lot of sense on a psychological level, since insecurity, low self-esteem and impulsivity are easily associated with the fear of being alone.
The scientific article Interpersonal dependency in borderline personality disorder: clinical context and empirical evidence goes even further, since it stipulates that there is a clear comorbidity between Borderline Personality Disorder and Dependent Personality Disorder. It is estimated that BPD presents with other emotional disorders in 80-96% of cases, so it is expected that common points will be found between various of these entities in many patients.
A clear causality
With this scientific data, we have shown that the correlation between BPD and emotional dependence is more than clear. Fear of abandonment is a very powerful diagnostic criterion when identifying a patient with Borderline Personality Disorder. so the need not to lose those close to you is a typical trait of people who suffer from this pathology.
Finally, we want to emphasize that BPD and other disorders can be treated. In this specific case, there is no medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the pathology, since the effect of antidepressants, antipsychotics and other drugs is quite limited. In any case, the usefulness of psychotherapy to improve the symptoms of patients has been demonstrated, so Faced with this alteration, it is important to go to the psychologist.
