Borderline Emotions: An Analyze of Personality Disorder

What are the Causes of Personality Disorder?

Lesson Plan Essay

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All over the world there are people who have personality disorders. When it comes to how these disorders came to be in a person is not as black and white as one might think. No one is simply born with a personality disorder. A personality disorder is genetic, but also may include other factors such as environment and issues of neglect and abuse, and these factors can change a person’s brain patterns and how their brain is wired. Many factors come into play when it comes to the causes and effects of personality disorders. Personality Disorders may come from a person’s genetics and damaged genes and as well as the environment of a person during childhood before puberty. There is no one kind of trauma that sparks this, for example, Stephanie Fitzgerald wrote of a girl named Abby (name changed for privacy) who suffers from BPD and was bullied and harassed by her friends in 8th grade. “It is very likely that genetics, biology, and environmental factors all play a role” (Fitzgerald). When it comes to personality disorders, many things have to go wrong for a person to suffer from one.

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Personality Disorders have one major cause, genetics. Jim Fallon, in his TED Talk about genetic linked disorders, stated “So there is the pattern that every one of them had, but they all were a little different too. They had other sorts of brain damage. A key thing is that the major violence genes, it's called the MAO-A gene” (Fallon). This MAO-A gene is sex-linked and which can lead to too much serotonin in the brain during development. This leads to serotonin having a hard time affecting the brain later in life (Fallon). While this can lead to some extreme cases of personality disorders, these people are not psychotic. David Farrugia analyzed documents and articles from many different studies of Borderline Personality Disorder and he states,  “Each writer recognized a relatively stable psychological character that differed from more fluid and profound disruptions of normal functioning” (Farrugia 196). Each person who suffers from a personality disorder experience these symptoms on different levels that are not necessarily psychotic. This is due to damage among the genes. The genes and gene damage are very big factors in the cause of personality disorders.

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Another important factor in the cause of Personality Disorders is the environment of a person before puberty. Traumatic events before puberty play a major role in the cause of Personality Disorders. Stephanie Fitzgerald, in her article, tells the story of a girl called Abby who suffers from BPD. “She still struggled. In eighth grade, things went from bad to worse. One of Abby's friends began harassing her; soon the rest of her social circle turned on her too. There were some days when the teen was so depressed she couldn't get out of bed” (Fitzgerald). Abby showed many symptoms of BPD but was not diagnosed properly at first. Abby also suffered from depression and self-harmed which also could have been major factors in her BPD (Fitzgerald). Abby is a prime example for how trauma can affect a person. Many see bullying as  event with no long lasting consequences, but it is the exact opposite. Even bullying can affect BPD and personality disorders. The trauma can be as simple as bullying and that was the case for Abby.

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However, this trauma can come in many different forms. One is neglect. Debbie Miller defines neglect as ¨An act of omission by a parent or caregiver that involves refusal or delay in providing health care, education, or basic needs such as food, clothes, shelter, affection, and attention¨ (Miller). Another form is abuse. Many types of abuse can be traumatic to cause a personality disorder. These types of abuse are emotional, ¨An act or omission by a parent or caregiver that involves rejecting, isolating, terrorizing, ignoring, or corrupting a child¨ (Miller). ¨An act of commission by a parent or caregiver that results in, or is likely to result in, physical harm to the child–including death¨ (Miller). Finally, sexual abuse, “molestation with genital contact, sodomy, rape, exhibitionism, or other forms of sexual acts in which the child is used to provide sexual gratification to the perpetrator¨ (Miller), can be a major cause. All types of abuse are traumatic whether physical or mental. Abuse is a serious issue with serious consequences. It never goes away and can haunt a person for their whole life. Abuse can lead to many other disorders or issues other than personality disorder. However, in personality disorders, it normally is a large factor in the manifestation of personality disorders.

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The development of personality disorders can cause a significant difference in behavior. A variety of symptoms are displayed including paranoia, control issues, anxiety and depression. Many with personality disorders have little to no real affection to any other person have issues developing relationships (Farrugia 4). These symptoms are also symptoms of other disorders. These symptoms can be often these symptoms are mistaken for something different and go undiagnosed (Fitzgerald). These symptoms don’t just affect the lives of the person who suffers from it, but also the lives of the people around them. It is hard to help someone you care about when you don’t know what is wrong. Personality Disorders can also cause problems in building meaningful and proper relationships. When personality disorders go untreated or misdiagnosed it can lead to improper care of a person’s needs. The difference in behavior is due to the causes of Personality Disorders.

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People are not simply “born with” a Personality Disorder. They are only born with the right genetic markers that surface due to traumatic and abusive environments mainly before puberty. Personality disorders manifest over time in a person. This is due to genetics and environment that can lead to traumatic events. If a person is born with the right genes that can cause damage during development and had a traumatic childhood, it is possible for them to develop a personality disorder. These can lead to significant differences in behavior and relationship building. If gone undiagnosed or diagnosed improperly it can lead to the personality disorder becoming worse over time. It is best to get a person with a personality disorder the help they need as soon as possible. This will help them and the people around them in the future. The causes and effects of personality disorders affect everyone involved and can leave a long lasting impression on a person.