Browsing by Author "Mikkonen, Kasperi"

Borderline personality disorder is a difficult disease which lowers the patients general functioning drastically. It is characterized by increased mortality rate and high treatment costs. Symptoms of borderline personality disorder are very complex and its aetiology is far from simple. The goals of this literature review were to review the genetic background of the disorder and possible overlapping genetic factors between borderline personality disorder and other psychiatric disorders. Large-scale twin studies show that the heritability of borderline personality disorder varies between 0,35-0,67. It can be said that the incidence of borderline personality disorder is strongly influenced by genetic factors. However, genome-wide association studies are scarce so the specific genetic mechanisms are largely unknown. Studies show that many other psychiatric disorders have common factors and genetic overlap with borderline personality disorder. These disorders include for example attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression and substance use disorders. This review suggests that better understanding of the genetic factors of borderline personality disorder could improve diagnostics and treatment methods.