Possible complications if left untreated

This is a very serious mental disorder which can affect almost any area of a person's life: relationships, jobs, school, social activities, self-image etc. That’s why the most common complications include:

• repeated job losses
• broken marriages
• self-injury, such as cutting or burning
• suicide
• depression
• substance abuse
• anxiety disorders
• eating disorders
• bipolar disorder
• other personality disorders

Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder

Medications

Medication seems to be the first response to self-harm behavior, particularly when self-harm is linked to other symptoms, such as depression.
However, there was little research so far examining the effectiveness of medications for personality disorders in young people.

Antidepressants
It has been suggested that antidepressant drugs and mood stabilizers may be helpful for depressive mood, mood swings, and impulsivity, however, the affective symptoms of BPD do not respond to antidepressants in the same way as the symptoms of mood disorders.

Antipsychotic drugs
Antipsychotic drugs may be used when there are distortions in thinking or some psychotic symptoms. However, the commonly used mood stabilizer, valproic acid, may induce polycystic ovaries, so should not be used by young female BPD patients. 

Hospitalization
Although it is necessary in some severe cases, hospital admissions are expensive, and may be ineffective and even counterproductive. Brief psychiatric hospitalization may be justified for protection against suicide risk, psychotic or dissociative symptoms, dangerousness toward others or when the patient is experiencing an acute stressful life event or demonstrates symptoms of affective disorder.

Individual Therapy
The most important approach to the treatment of suicidal behavior is individual therapy. It includes:

• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy,
• Problem-Solving,
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy,
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy.
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

The idea is to give patients tools to control and handle their emotions that they never acquired as children.