'Trust Game' May Shed Light On Common Mental Illness

Black said that while the origins of BPD are unknown, there is likely a strong genetic component. The Baylor study, he said, is only the most recent of a series of studies that show BPD to have a biological explanation.

And Montague is hopeful that people will quickly understand that BPD is not the fault of the patient.

"The content of what we found was remarkable and very clear," he said.

"It's a real problem. It's just like…schizophrenia. You wouldn't blame someone who is schizophrenic for acting paranoid.

"I think it would be hard to say that they're being willfully difficult at this point."