BPD and Eating Disorders Explained
The link between BPD and eating disorders has been well documented and tends to appear in adolescence and young adulthood, and can often occur at the same time. It’s been estimated by some researchers that around 54% of people suffering from BPD have a history of eating disorders. In fact, from a sample study, BPD has been observed in around 25% of patients with anorexia nervosa and in around 28% of those with bulimia nervosa. What makes this finding significant is the general prevalence of eating disorders in the general population is approximately 5-10%, making this more statistic far outstrip expectations and this confirming pattern between the two conditions.
Both BPD and eating disorders associated with histories of childhood trauma, relating to physical, sexual and emotional abuse. It’s been surmised that when BPD and eating disorders co-occur with one another, it is usually BPD that develops first. The resulting food-related issues initially present as a symptom of the underlying borderline personality – as a way of seeking and maintaining control – which then, over time, turns into a full-blown condition requiring a specific treatment plan all of its own. And it’s because of this that the link between the two needs to be understood properly, so the two conditions can not only be treated separately but all also in the correct order.
It also worth noting, while the relationship between BPD and eating disorders isn’t officially recognised as being causal, some researchers have offered input as to why this might not be true. The reason for this being that both BPD and eating disorders are the result of many of the same overarching influences that extend to biological, psychological and environmental factors. When a child experiences teasing due to their weight while also in a state of distress caused by their parentage, these two seemingly separate influences coalesce and synergise with one another.