A new study appearing in the American Journal of Psychiatry reports that individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) may have opioid deficiencies and may therefore benefit from that family of drugs. These patients are at risk for alcoholism and substance abuse, including addiction to opiates.
BPD patients have a high suicide rate, have trouble functioning in everyday life, and use up more mental health resources than average psychiatric patients. It is a common disorder, affecting about six out of every 100 people, and characterized by moodiness, overreactions to interpersonal triggers, and psychic pain caused by the inability to become close to other people.
Researchers induced sad and happy feelings in patients with borderline personalities and healthy people, and then compared opioid activities in their brains. There were distinct differences between the two groups, which may be related to a genetic component.
People with borderline personalities often cut themselves. The reason is that cutting releases natural opioid painkillers. This new study may indicate that taking artificial opioids could help these patients.
Labels: borderline personality disorder, opioids
Posted By: Jane St. Clair