Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental health disorder that is often characterized by unstable moods, self-image, and behavior. People with BPD often struggle with creating stable relationships with people. About 1.4% of the U.S population suffers from BPD. But how does genetics relate to BPD? Borderline Personality Disorder involves two genes: DPYD and PKP4. These genes are a large component of whether or not a person develops the disorder. Not only are these genes linked to BPD, but they are also linked to other brain disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. BPD has a heritability rate of 46%. In addition, an individual is more likely to develop BPD if a family member has the conditions. How close one is to the family member also affects if a person develops BPD or not. Researchers often use hazard ratios to describe the risk and heritability of BPD. For example, identical twins have a hazard ratio of 11.5, meaning they are more likely to develop BPD than fraternal twins who have a hazard ratio of 7.4. Last but not least, treatments of BPD include psychotherapy, schema-focused therapy, among others. I hope that as people learn more about mental health conditions such as BPD, the stigma around mental illness slowly starts to fade.
Article Link: https://www.verywellhealth.com/is-borderline-personality-disorder-genetic-5191970
Related Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2021/08/01/new-research-offers-insight-into-the-origins-of-borderline-personality-disorder/?sh=1beee2ea412a
The genetics of mental illness has always fascinated me, as with a large family on my mom's side we have a lot who suffer from some form of it. I think being able to somewhat track the heritability of it will be incredibly beneficial for a lot of people and could help start treatment sooner for people if they know they for sure have it. I do also share the hope that the mental health stigma fades more as we learn more about these diseases.
ReplyDelete