Q. Dear Dr. Heller,
My question; is BPD a heritable disease? I have a 17 year old daughter, who over the past 5 yrs., has been diagnosed with; BPD, Bipolar disorder, ADHD, PTSD, Seizure Disorder (Absence with abnormalities in Temporal Lobe) & learning disabilities. She has been hospitalized 11 times, and has lived in 4 residential homes. Her latest "breakdown" started about 3 months ago after being weaned off Depakote (she was tested by a pediatric neurologist) and we haven't been able to get her stabilized. Her meds are now; Seraquel, Neurontin (she refuses), & Ritalin.
I understand BPD is an illness that usually comes out when a person is much older than 12. My daughters father is not stable mentally and the doctors, therapists etc. who treated her are sure he has BPD and Bipolar disorder also. My daughter had been abused her father and his wife mentally, physically and (sexually). Her father still torments her and her younger brother. He was abusive to me when we were married, and started in with my daughter after the divorce.
My son (15) is absolutely terrified he will turn into his sister. I understand about Bipolar-Polar, seizures, PTSD, ADHD and LD. I have tried to learn everything I possible can about my daughters mental illness, and the one thing that puzzles me is how can she have the same personality as her father?
It's heartbreaking knowing that she is suffering, I have been in therapy myself the last 5 years just trying to handle all this.
A. Genetics plays an enormous role. So did the sexual abuse. I have patients with similar stories and they can be difficult to treat. There are other medication options that with my patients have been effective.
The BPD is not directly heritable, although the risk is. When you add trauma like hers to that risk, the BPD usually results. ADHD is genetic and in my opinion not a disease at all. Bipolar has strong genetic features as well.
If your son doesn't have the BPD yet - even mildly - he is unlikely to get it. He's at high risk for attention deficit disorder and other problems and I strongly advise you get him evaluated for the possibility of the BPD, generalized anxiety disorder and attention deficit disorder. The screening test I use for my patients in this situation is available for free at my website http://www.biologicalunhappiness.com