Living with borderline personality disorder can be challenging. Having a baby makes things a bit more difficult. That’s why it is important to get help.
Around 3 in 100 Australian women aged 25 or more experience borderline personality disorder.
Problems in childhood may cause borderline personality disorder. This includes sexual, physical or emotional abuse or neglect.
Talk to your doctor about your symptoms. If you have five or more of the symptoms listed above, you may have borderline personality disorder.
A mother with borderline personality disorder may struggle with her relationship with her baby. She may not feel the way she thinks that she should feel about the baby. She may also find caring for the baby difficult. It can be very hard to cope when the baby is crying or distressed when you have trouble managing your own distress.
Having a mother with borderline personality disorder affects infants in different ways. If the mother’s behaviour is ‘frightening’ for the infant or she has trouble responding to the infant’s emotional needs, it is more likely that the infant will develop problems with emotions and relationships. Having other people take care of the baby sometimes can reduce these effects on the baby.
See also:
Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder when having a baby – Consumer Fact Sheet
