A slew of news stories are being reported everyday about people reacting in aggressive and violent ways to situations that had little or no provocation. It may be alarming to see that happening, but this troubling trend seems to be growing on a daily basis. For example:
(Trigger Warning #1 - these images depict interpersonal violence)
A fan fight in a luxury suite at a major league baseball game
A player brawl just days later - at the same ballpark!
A fan tossed a drink at singer Cardi B performing on stage. She retaliated by throwing her microphone at him.
A brawl at an Alabama marina between crew members of two boats fighting over a dockside parking spot.
A spontaneous riot in a New York City park involving hundreds of teens who were promised free video game consoles and other gifts by a popular internet personality who arrived late, sparking the tumult.
What were they thinking? Â
The more I pondered these and similar events - angry, aggressive and violent attacks with little or no provocation - I realized that some of the emotions and behaviors felt familiar.
To me, these over-the-top social behaviors resemble a key trait that literally defines Borderline Personality Disorder - emotional dysregulation.
Imaging studies of people with BPD suggest that the roots of their impulsivity, anger and aggression can be found in two areas of the brain that drive and regulate emotions- the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex (PFC).
This animated clip depicts the connection between these areas:
The similarity between the aberrant behaviors reported on the news and the most dysfunctional traits of Borderline Personality Disorder was quite startling .
This is not at all to imply that people with BPD are prone to criminal behaviors, nor that people who assault strangers or incite riots have BPD, or any other mental illness, for that matter.  But I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that among people who live with BPD, these public displays of uncontrollable and destructive behaviors might seem familiar to them as well.
Why Some People Can’t Think
What is happening in our social domain that’s having a severe impact inside our heads? Or the opposite- are there things going on in our brain that are fueling these societal breakdowns?
It turns out that these scenarios might be related. And the net effect might be that parts of our brains- particularly the ones that process our thoughts, emotions and behaviors - may be wearing out.
For example, it has been determined that high levels of persistent stress can increase the size of the amygdala, boosting the intensity of the signals sent to connected areas of the brain, such as the pre-frontal cortex. Other studies have revealed that, over time, cells in the PFC can be damaged by the escalating tide of powerful emotions that are processed there, inhibiting the ability to regulate intense emotions.
(Trigger Warning #2: Cliffhanger)
Raising this speculative question and trying to answer it in one post would result in a very long post. So we’re going to continue this inquiry in two followup newsletters over the next two weeks (as opposed to our normal monthly schedule).
That will give us more time and space to explore what neuroscientists and mental health researchers have recently discovered about the link between brain and behavior that can provide some expert insight to this discussion.
But don’t despair. We’ll also present practical strategies recommended by well-regarded mental health professionals to cope with, and possibly reverse, some of the damage that’s been done.