Borderline Schizophrenia

Many mental health professionals still find the categories helpful in understanding the condition and choosing the most appropriate treatment for each patient, even though they are no longer used to diagnose schizophrenia. Even though a person presently displays symptoms connected to one of the categories, it’s crucial to comprehend that these symptoms can alter swiftly and that there’s no such thing as low-level schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia Statistics

A mental disorder called schizophrenia is characterized by disturbances in thought, perception, emotional responsiveness, and social interactions. Although each person’s experience with schizophrenia is unique, the condition is typically chronic and can be both severe and incapacitating.

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Can Borderline Personality Disorder Lead to Schizophrenia? Can BPD Turn Into Schizophrenia?

Can BPD lead to schizophrenia? A dangerous ailment that needs medical attention is borderline personality disorder. It can seriously affect your life if it is not treated. Can BPD develop into schizophrenia, though? Despite the similarities between the two mental illnesses, borderline personality disorder cannot progress into schizophrenia.

Like schizophrenia, BPD is more common than it is. According to one study, BPD affects about 20% of patients receiving inpatient care, which is on the verge of reaching schizophrenia-like proportions.

Is BPD Schizophrenia? Difference Between BPD and Schizophrenia

Despite the fact that the two diagnoses can co-exist, schizophrenia is very distinct from BPD. While schizophrenia is defined by a variety of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dysfunctions, BPD is characterized by a pattern of instability in interpersonal interactions.

Are BPD and Schizophrenia Similar? Schizophrenia vs BPD – Borderline Paranoid Schizophrenia

If you or a loved one has both BPD and schizophrenia, learning the similarities and differences between these conditions can be helpful in understanding how they may interact.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

BPD is classified in the DSM 5 as a personality disorder, which is generally characterized by:

• Rigid thinking
• Atypical behavior
• Difficulty maintaining stable relationships

Research from 2008 found that up to 5.9% of people may experience BPD at some point in their lifetime. Onset typically occurs during adolescence or young adulthood.

Schizophrenia

According to the DSM 5, schizophrenia belongs to the schizophrenia spectrum class of diseases. Schizophrenia, which has symptoms that suggest a weakened relationship to reality, affects fewer than 1% of the population and is among the top 15 causes of disability worldwide, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Psychosis

The term “psychosis” describes a profound detachment from reality. Hallucinations or delusions are common during psychotic episodes. Schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder both have psychosis as a potential symptom, although psychotic episodes in BPD are often brief, transient, and stress-related.

People with BPD are more likely than those with schizophrenia to experience hallucinations, though by a smaller margin. An estimated 29% to 50% of persons with BPD report hallucinations, according to research from 2021.

According to a 2021 study, between 60% and 80% of persons with schizophrenia are thought to report having these symptoms. Furthermore, unlike schizophrenia, BPD psychotic episodes usually do not come with negative symptoms or disarray.

Borderline Schizophrenia Symptoms – Schizophrenia and Borderline Personality Disorder Comorbidity

While the coexistence of BPD and schizophrenia is uncommon, some symptoms may be similar. It can be useful to be aware of the variations in how each condition’s symptoms can seem and feel. Don’t try to self-diagnose, or do an internet “borderline schizophrenia test”, it is important to always consult a psychiatrist. Some signs of borderline schizophrenia can include:

Schizophrenia vs Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

Schizophrenia symptoms

Schizophrenia symptoms generally fall under three categories:

• Positive symptoms: this includes psychosis (including hallucinations and delusions), disordered thinking and speech, altered sensations
• Negative symptoms: these symptoms include reduced motivation, difficulty planning, suppressed emotions, social withdrawal
• Cognitive symptoms: this can include trouble with attention or concentration, memory loss, difficulty absorbing information, trouble making decisions

BPD symptoms

Some of the most common symptoms of borderline personality disorder include:

• Sweeping shifts in mood and behavior
• Varying perceptions of self and others
• Emotional instability, including episodes of anger
• Depression and anxiety
• Unstable relationships with friends, family, and romantic partners
• Impulsivity
• Feeling a lack of purpose or emptiness
• Self-harm
• Suicidal ideation

A significant but smaller percentage of people with BPD may also experience:

• Dissociation
• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Paranoia

Please seek immediate professional assistance if you’re thinking of taking your own life due to suicidal thoughts.

Causes of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that is thought to be caused by a number of factors, including:

• Genetics: Although genetics alone does not cause schizophrenia, having a parent, sibling, or another close relative who has the disease increases the likelihood of having it by nearly six times.
• Environmental: Interactions with particular surroundings may enhance the incidence of schizophrenia in those with genetic risk factors. Stress can lead to schizophrenia, even though it is not the cause. Additionally, a person’s risk is increased if they have poor nutrition or are exposed to a virus before to birth.
• Brain chemistry: According to research, the sizes of particular brain regions, the connections between them, and the interactions of neurotransmitters like dopamine in the brains of persons with schizophrenia are all different from those of people without the disorder.
• Drug use: Cannabis and other mind-altering substances can raise the risk of schizophrenia in teenagers and young adults.

It is impossible to pinpoint the exact cause of schizophrenia in any one person because multiple factors may play a role in its onset.

Borderline Personality Disorder vs Schizophrenia (BPD vs Schizophrenia): Causes of Borderline Schizophrenia

According to research from 2021, there is a larger likelihood of BPD in family members of individuals who already have it. However, this does not imply that having a family member with one of these disorders makes you more likely to get it yourself.

Environment

Experiencing trauma early in life can be a contributing factor to developing BPD. A 2021 review indicates that up to 90% of people living with BPD experienced childhood trauma, including:

• Physical, verbal, or sexual abuse
• Neglect
• Bullying

A different 2021 review suggests that environmental sources may account for between 15% to 40% of the chance of developing schizophrenia, but those sources are believed to be more diverse than those that contribute to BPD.

This may include:

• Complications at birth
• Certain infections during pregnancy
• Season of birth
• Social factors, such as migration and living in cities
• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), like abuse and neglect
• Drug use, especially cannabis

Physiology

Differences in neurotransmitter levels — especially serotonin and dopamine — may impact the development of both schizophrenia and BPD.

And, it’s not just your brain chemicals. Regions of the brain in charge of emotion regulation and impulse control — including the amygdala and hippocampus — may look and function differently in people with BPD.

Neuroimaging research from 2018 of people with schizophrenia showed significant differences in the size and activity of the frontal and temporal lobes, which play a large role in:

• Memory
• Emotion
• Language functioning

Borderline Schizophrenia Treatment

Schizophrenia typically first manifests in early adulthood and has no known treatment. Treatment is therefore required to guarantee that individuals can manage the illness. Therapy and antipsychotic medicines are examples of these treatments.

Antipsychotic Drugs

Antipsychotic drugs lessen the severity and duration of schizophrenia symptoms and are often taken as a daily pill or liquid. They could, however, cause unwanted side effects like weight gain and tiredness. Even though antipsychotic drugs have side effects, once someone starts taking them, they shouldn’t stop because doing so could make their symptoms worse.

Therapy

For patients with schizophrenia, cognitive-behavioral therapy is one available kind of treatment.

Another choice is assertive community treatment. People with schizophrenia who are at high risk of homelessness and institutionalization can benefit from assertive community treatment. It also involves regular interactions with patients.

We Level Up Dual Diagnosis Treatment

The exact definition of dual diagnosis (also referred to as co-occurring disorders) can differ between institutions.  However, it is generally described as the specific treatment of someone who has been diagnosed with a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder at the same time.

Treating dual-diagnosis clients is a critical aspect of our inpatient treatment experience because co-occurring disorders are strongly correlated with instances of substance abuse. Creating a treatment plan that addresses the physical aspects of withdrawal, the psychological connection with drug use, and managing underlying mental health disorders is part of setting clients up for success. 

A thorough mental health analysis identifies possibilities for treatment.  Meeting with mental health counselors and medical care providers means access to behavioral therapy and medication treatment.

At our dual diagnosis treatment center, We Level Up can implement the highest quality of care. We recognize the fragile complexities of how mental and substance abuse disorders can influence others and sometimes result in a vicious cycle of addiction.  That’s why we offer specialized treatment in dual-diagnosis cases to provide the most excellent chance of true healing and long-lasting recovery.

It can be challenging to accept that you may be living with a mental illness, but once it is properly diagnosed and treated, treating the presenting case of substance abuse can be magnitudes easier. Only a properly trained medical professional can diagnose these underlying conditions.  If you believe you are suffering from a disorder alongside addiction, we urge you to seek a qualified treatment center to begin your journey to recovery. Call We Level Up today.