- With Mayo Clinic psychiatrist
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Dr. Daniel Hall-Flavin, board certified in general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry, is a St. Louis native looking to the Internet as a way to help people improve their health and be more active participants in their own health care by learning from Mayo Clinic's experts.
Dr. Hall-Flavin has been a member of the faculties of Cornell University Medical College, New York Medical College, and The George Washington University Medical School before joining the Mayo Clinic staff in 1996. He has special interests in adult psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and psychogenomics. He has served as medical director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence from 1986 to 1999.
"With the advent of the genomics and proteomics revolution and the pace of advances in medicine, informed collaborative relationships between knowledgeable, capable health professionals and informed, proactive individuals and their families are more vital than ever," he said.
"I'm optimistic that our Internet health education activities will contribute to ever-improving health outcomes for all who participate and apply what is learned."
Complications (2)
- Child abuse: A cause of borderline personality disorder?
- Depression and anxiety: Can I have both?
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Question
Child abuse: A cause of borderline personality disorder?
Can physical or sexual abuse in childhood cause borderline personality disorder?
Answer
from Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Traumatic events in childhood increase the risk of borderline personality disorder and other mental health problems. Emotional trauma at a time when the brain isn't fully developed may cause changes to the brain and decrease a person's ability to deal with stressful situations later in life.
While the exact cause of borderline personality disorder isn't fully understood, it's most likely caused by a combination of heredity and environmental factors. You're at increased risk of borderline personality disorder if:
- You have a first-degree relative — a parent, sibling or child — who was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
- You were physically or sexually abused or grew up in an environment with fighting and conflict.
Borderline personality disorder is a serious emotional disturbance that's characterized by:
- Unsatisfactory and unstable personal relationships
- Self-esteem that goes up and down
- Intense anger or trouble managing anger
- Impulsive, dangerous or self-harming behavior
- Feelings of emptiness
- Intense fears of abandonment
It's common for borderline personality disorder to occur along with other mental health problems. Childhood abuse also can be associated with other mental illnesses. Examples include:
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Anxiety disorders
- Substance abuse disorders
- Eating disorders
Depression and anxiety: Can I have both?
- Borderline personality disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed May 20, 2009.
- Koenigsberg HW, et al. Borderline personality disorder. In: Fink G, et al. Encyclopedia of Stress. 2nd ed. San Diego, Calif.: Academic Press; 2007:348.
- Sansone RA, et al. Childhood trauma, borderline personality, and eating disorders: A developmental cascade. Eating Disorders. 2007;15:333.
