ect regulation and baseline levels of anxiety tolerance - and some may stem from life events, especially repeated sexual and perhaps physical trauma during childhood.
Corelli (1998) describes a patient borderline personality disorder as one who often experiences a repetitive pattern of disorganization and instability in self-image, mood, behavior, and close personal relationships. He explains that this may cause significant distress or impairment in friendships and at work. He says that a person with this disorder can often be bright and intelligent, and appear warm, friendly, and competent. They can sometimes maintain this appearance for a number of years until their defense structure crumbles, usually around a stressful situation like the breakup of a romantic relationship or the death of a parent.
Hubbard, Saathoff, Bernardo and Barnett (1995) say that borderline personality disorder often occurs in patients who report a very turbulent childhood. They add that patients with this disorder can initially appear quite normal, but that psychological and psychiatric testing have shown that these patients have an increased prevalence of reality distortion. Evidence of mildly psychotic or primitive thought structure, using unstructured psychologic tests is particularly notable in these patients. They add that the term "borderline" emphasizes the marginal or fluctuating normal, neurotic, and psychotic behaviors of these patients.
Brodsky, Malone, Ellis, Dulit and Mann (1997) hypothesize that a specific feature of borderline personality disorder, impulsivity, and childhood trauma, a possible etiological factor in the development of impulsivity, could be associated with suicidal behavior. They found the number of lifetime suicide attempts is consistent with the hypothesis that childhood abuse is an etiological factor in the development of self-destructive behaviors, and that impulsivity is a potential target therapeutical...