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1. lower blood serotonin levels
2. reduced parasympathetic nervous system of the respiratory sinus arrhythmia, a measure of the ebb and flow of heart rate along with breathing

"This research supports the primary theory that borderline personality disorder is caused by an inability to manage emotions. These girls have an excessively strong emotional reactions and they have extreme difficulty in controlling those emotions," said Beauchaine. "Their self-harming behavior serves to distract them from these emotions."

Serious cases of self harm may lead to Borderline Personality Disorder, a worse condition affecting an estimated 5.8 to 8.7 million Americans, mostly women. Understanding the underlying physiological basis may help lead to potentially more effective therapeutics.

Details of the study design and results were described in UW News.