• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

On the surface, Kim seemed oddly mature for a six-year-old, despite the chaos around her. To her, other kids were “just kids,” without her experience. She didn’t think her particular type of maturity was unusual at all: she had seen old photographs of her mother and grandmother when they were her age, and in the snapshots they all had the same look.

Across Generations

In many respects, the Andersons’ saga is typical of borderline cases: the factors contributing to the borderline syndrome often transcend generations. The genealogy of BPD is often rife with deep and long-lasting problems, including suicide, incest, drug abuse, violence, losses, and loneliness.

It has been observed that borderlines often have borderline mothers, who, in turn, have borderline mothers. This hereditary predisposition to BPD prompts a number of questions, such as: How do borderline traits develop? How are they passed down through families? Are they, indeed, passed down at all?

In examining the roots of this illness, these questions resurrect the traditional “nature versus nurture” (or, temperament versus character) question. The two major theories on the causes of BPD—one emphasizing developmental (psychological) roots, the other constitutional (biological and genetic) origins—reflect the dilemma.

A third theoretical category, which focuses on environmental and sociocultural factors, such as our fast-paced, fragmented societal structure, destruction of the nuclear family, increased divorce rates, increased reliance on nonparental day care, greater geographical mobility, and changing patterns of gender roles, is also important (see chapter 4). Though empirical research on these environmental elements is limited, some professionals speculate that these factors would tend to increase the prevalence of BPD.

The available evidence points to no one definitive cause—or even type of cause—of BPD. Rather, a combination of genetic, developmental, neurobiological, and social factors contribute to the development of the illness.

Genetic and Neurobiological Roots

Family studies suggest that first-degree relatives of borderlines are several times more likely to show signs of a personality disorder, especially BPD, than the general public. These close family members are also significantly more likely to exhibit mood, impulse, and substance abuse disorders.1 It is unlikely that one gene contributes to BPD; instead, like most medical disorders, many chromosomal loci are activated or subdued—probably influenced by environmental factors—in the development of what we label BPD.

Biological and anatomical correlations with BPD have been demonstrated. In our book Sometimes I Act Crazy, we discuss in more detail how specific genes affect neurotransmitters (brain hormones, which relay messages between brain cells).2 Dysfunction in some of these neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, and others, are associated with impulsivity, mood disorders, and other characteristics of BPD. These neurotransmitters also affect the balance of adrenaline and steroid production in the body. Some of the genes affecting these neurotransmitters have been associated with several psychiatric illnesses. However, studies with variable results demonstrate that multiple genes (intersecting with environmental stressors) contribute to the expression of most medical and psychiatric disorders.

The borderline’s frequent abuse of food, alcohol, and other drugs—typically interpreted as self-destructive behavior—may also be seen as an attempt to self-medicate inner emotional turmoil. Borderlines frequently report the calming effects of self-mutilation; rather than feeling pain, they experience soothing relief or distraction from internal psychological pain. Self-mutilation, like any other physical trauma or stress, may result in the release of endorphins—the body’s natural narcotic-like substances that provide relief during childbirth, physical traumas, long-distance running, and other physically stressful activities.