Borderline Personality Disorder- A serious mental health disorder

It can be challenging to function in daily life if you have a borderline personality disorder, a mental health condition that affects how you feel and think about other people and yourself. Issues with one's self-image, trouble controlling one's emotions and conduct, and history of rocky relationships are all included.

When you have a borderline personality disorder, you might struggle to tolerate being by yourself and harbour a deep fear of instability or abandonment. Even if you desire to build enduring and meaningful connections, improper anger, impulsivity, and frequent mood swings may drive people away.

Usually, during early adulthood, borderline personality disorder presents itself. Young adulthood seems to be when the problem is worse, and it may progressively become better as people age.

If you suffer from a borderline personality disorder, do not give up. Many individuals with this condition recover over time and can learn to live fulfilling lives with the help of treatment.

Causes

The reasons for a borderline personality disorder are not entirely understood, just like those of other mental health illnesses. A borderline personality disorder may be related to the following:

•  Environmental issues such as the history of child abuse or neglect:
• Genetics. According to certain research on twins and families, personality disorders may run in families or be closely related to other mental health issues.
• Improper brain function. According to several studies, the brain's emotional regulation, impulsivity, and aggression-controlling regions have changed. Additionally, serotonin, one of the chemicals in the brain that regulates mood, may not work properly.

How to check if you have Borderline Personality Disorder?

Speak with your doctor or a mental health professional if you are aware that you experience any of the aforementioned indications or symptoms.

If you are contemplating suicide:

• Get assistance immediately.
• Dial your local emergency number right away.
• Dial a suicide prevention hotline. 
• Dial the number of your doctor, psychiatrist, or other healthcare professional.
• Speak to a close friend, family member, colleague, or trustworthy peer.
• Make contact with a member of your religious group.

Risk Factors

The chance of having borderline personality disorder may be increased by some personality development-related factors. These consist of:

Inherited propensity. If a close relative, such as your mother, father, brother, or sister, has the same or a related disorder, you may be at a higher risk.

Stressful upbringing. Many patients with the condition claim that they experienced physical, sexual, or mental abuse or neglect as children. Some people lost a parent or a close caregiver when they were young or were split up from them, or they had parents or caregivers who misused drugs or had other mental health problems. Others have experienced hostile conflict and tumultuous family ties.

Symptoms

Your perception of yourself, how you interact with others, and how you behave are all impacted by borderline personality disorder.

Some warning signs and symptoms include:

• excessive fear of abandonment that drives one to take drastic measures to avoid real or imagined rejection or separation
• A series of intense, erratic connections, such as suddenly idealising someone and then concluding that they don't care enough or are harsh the next time
• Rapid changes in goals and values, as well as a negative or absent self-perception in one's identity and self-image
• Stress-related paranoia and periods of disconnection from reality that might last for a few minutes to a few hours.
• Risky and impulsive conduct, such as binge eating, reckless driving, illicit sex, shopping binges, and drug usage, undermining success by abruptly leaving a successful career or relationship, or engaging in drug use
• Suicidal threats, actions, or self-harm, frequently brought on by a fear of being abandoned or rejected
• Wide mood swings that can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days and include extreme joy, irritability, guilt, or anxiety
• Sensations of emptiness that persist
• Extremely inappropriate anger that manifests as a lot of temper tantrums, sarcasm, or physical altercations

Treatments 

Psychotherapy and occasionally medication are the major kinds of treatment for borderline personality disorder. If your safety is in danger, your doctor might also advise that you go to the hospital. 

You can develop coping mechanisms and management techniques through treatment. Treatment is also required for any additional mental health conditions, such as depression or substance abuse, which frequently coexist with a borderline personality disorder. With treatment, you can live a more secure, fulfilling life and feel better about yourself.

Psychotherapy

Talk therapy, often known as psychotherapy, is a key component of the treatment of borderline personality disorder. To best meet your needs, your therapist could modify the type of therapy. The purpose of psychotherapy is to: 

• Concentrate on your current level of functioning
• Learn to handle feeling uncomfortable emotions
• By encouraging you to examine your sensations rather than act on them, you might lessen your impulsivity.
• Be conscious of your own sentiments as well as those of others to work on strengthening relationships.
• Become familiar with a borderline personality disorder. 

Psychotherapy models that have been proven to be successful include:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (DBT). DBT is a type of treatment that combines group and individual sessions to address borderline personality disorder. DBT teaches you how to control your emotions, tolerate discomfort, and strengthen relationships using a skills-based approach.
• Therapy that is schema-focused. Schema-focused therapy can be carried out in a group or one-on-one setting. It can assist you in identifying unmet needs that have resulted in harmful life habits that, while once helpful for survival, are now hurtful to you as an adult. The goal of therapy is to support healthy ways for you to meet your needs in order to encourage good life patterns.
• Psychologically based therapy (MBT). MBT is a form of talk therapy that enables you to recognise your current ideas and emotions and develop an alternative viewpoint. The core of MBT is the idea of thinking before acting.
• Training systems to be emotionally stable and problem-solving (STEPPS). Working in groups, STEPPS is a 20-week therapy programme that includes your loved ones, caregivers, friends, or significant others. In addition to other forms of psychotherapy, STEPPS is employed.
• Psychotherapy focuses on transference (TFP). TFP, also known as psychodynamic psychotherapy, aims to help you comprehend your emotions and social challenges by utilising the growing bond between you and your therapist. You then use these realisations in ongoing circumstances.
• Excellent psychiatric care. This method of treatment relies on case management and treatment on the expectation of engagement in employment or school. It focuses on understanding emotionally trying times by taking the interpersonal context of feelings into account. Medication, groups, family education, and individual treatment may all be incorporated.

Medications

Some drugs may be able to help with symptoms or co-occurring conditions like depression, impulsivity, aggression, or anxiety. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilisers are examples of medications.

Ask your doctor about the advantages and drawbacks of taking certain medications.

Hospitalization

 You may occasionally require more intensive therapy in a mental health facility or clinic. A hospital stay may also help you avoid self-harm or deal with suicidal ideas or actions.

Healing takes time

It takes time to learn how to control your feelings, ideas, and actions. The majority of people make significant improvements, however, you might always battle with some BPD symptoms. Your symptoms could occasionally go better or worse. However, receiving treatment can increase your capacity for function and boost your self-esteem.

The best chance for success is to speak with a mental health professional who has handled borderline personality disorder before.

Complications of Borderline Personality Disorder

Your life can suffer due to borderline personality disorder in many different ways. It can have a detrimental effect on one's self-image, relationships with others, career, school, and social activities, leading to:

• Recurring job losses or modifications
• Not finishing a course of study
• Numerous legal troubles, including jail time
• Partnerships rife with conflict, marriages under stress, or divorce
• Self-harm involving cutting or burning as well as repeated hospital stays
• Participation in violent relationships
• Unplanned pregnancies, STDs, car accidents, and violent altercations brought on by impulsive and dangerous behaviour
• Suicide attempt or suicide

You might also suffer from further mental health conditions, like:

• Depression
• Abuse of other drugs or alcohol
• Anxiety conditions
• Disorders of eating
• Bipolar illness
• Trauma-related stress disorder (PTSD)
• Hyperactive/attention-deficit disorder (ADHD)
• Additional personality defects

For further information please access the following resources: