Borderline Personality Disorder: Etiology, Symptomatology, and Treatment

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a chronic and debilitating psychiatric condition marked by extreme emotional dysregulation, unstable interpersonal relationships, identity disturbance, and impulsive behavior. It is the most frequently diagnosed personality disorder in clinical settings, affecting approximately 1.6% of the general population and up to 20% of psychiatric inpatients. The disorder poses profound challenges in terms of diagnosis, treatment, and public understanding, and is associated with high rates of comorbidity, suicide attempts, and self-injury. This paper synthesizes recent literature to provide a comprehensive overview of BPD’s clinical presentation, etiology, and evidence-based treatment. Special emphasis is placed on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), and Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP). The manuscript also discusses the neurobiological, developmental, and sociocultural factors influencing symptom severity and treatment responsiveness. Accurate understanding and early intervention are essential to improving clinical outcomes and reducing the stigma that continues to surround this highly treatable yet often misunderstood disorder.