QUESTION:

Dear Dr. Heller,

In listing the evidence for a medical origin for BPD you stated that sound interpretation can be impaired. In what way? Are the symptoms similar to Central Auditory Processing Disorder? Could they be related? I have no trouble "hearing" people but frequently have difficulty understanding people. I experience a definite lag and find myself saying 'what' but then having it 'click in' (people become annoyed because they believe I am just not paying attention). I also substitute similar sounding words which, of course, often make no sense. Also, I believe you mentioned deja vu in another article. Is this a form of dissociation or a form of seizure? I get deja vu frequently, but not generally due to stress.

Thank you.

DR. HELLER'S ANSWER:

The studies showed impaired sound and language processing, similar to what you described. It's not a problem with hearing, but in the processing of the sounds, referred to as "audio neurointegration."

Your symptoms also are consistent with attention deficit disorder and a learning disability.

Deja vu can happen for many reasons, but is often associated with BPD dysphoria (anxiety, rage, depression and despair). It can also be found in temporal lobe seizure disorders.

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