What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Michael Patrick
·3 min read
1

MUNCIE, Ind. – According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental illness that severely impacts a person’s ability to manage their emotions. Due to the loss of emotional control, it can increase impulsivity, affect how a person feels about themselves, and negatively impacts their relationships with others.

Michael Patrick, MA, LMHC is the Crisis Center manager and Interim Clinical Director for Outpatient Services at IU Health Ball Behavioral Health Services.
Michael Patrick, MA, LMHC is the Crisis Center manager and Interim Clinical Director for Outpatient Services at IU Health Ball Behavioral Health Services.

What causes people to struggle with BPD?

The exact cause of the mental illness is unknown. However, some research has made connections with “genetics, environmental factors, and social factors as being the top reasons why individuals are diagnosed with BPD” (NIMH, 2023). Some impacting causes include:

  • Social stress

  • Abnormalities in the brain

  • Childhood abuse can increase the risk

  • Family history of BPD

  • Stressful childhood

What are the signs and symptoms of BPD?

People struggling with BPD may experience intense mood swings and feel uncertainty about how they see themselves. Their feelings for others can change quickly, and at times swing from extreme closeness to extreme dislike which can cause unstable relationships and emotional pain. People with BPD tend to view things in an “all or nothing” type mindset.  This mindset causes them to view life as “everything is all good or everything is all bad.” Interests and values can change quickly, and they may act impulsively or recklessly at times.

What treatment is available for BPD?

A mix of both medication management and therapy is the best approach to managing BPD. A few categories of medication that are recommended to be utilized to manage BPD are antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. Psychotherapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy are also both viewed as common approaches to managing BPD. Psychotherapy can be completed with a trained therapist who will work with a patient on managing thoughts, feelings and emotions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy can address guiding patients on how to adapt to changes in their behavior.

What can happen if left untreated?

People with BPD that do not treat their mental illness tend to struggle with various symptoms that are often noticed by those closest to them. These symptoms include:

  • Self-harm behavior

  • Suicidal tendencies

  • Negative thoughts and feelings about self and others

  • Anger, and at times violent outrage or behavior

  • Continued unstable relationships

How can you support loved ones struggling with BPD?

Having loved ones with BPD can be taxing on your own emotional state so the first way to provide support to loved ones is by setting boundaries and making sure you are partaking in self-care. Patience with those individuals is needed. Sometimes it is just offering support or a listening ear to those individuals, validating their emotions, and showing that you are a reliable person. Since they are struggling to manage their own emotions, it is important that you maintain boundaries so that you can manage your own emotions.

If you or a loved one is struggling with BPD symptoms the first place to start is talking with your healthcare provider about the symptoms and seeking a referral for a therapist, psychologist, or behavioral health clinic.

Reference: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) nimh.nih.gov

Michael Patrick, MA, LMHC is the Crisis Center Manager and Interim Clinical Director for Outpatient Services at IU Health Ball Behavioral Health Services.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: What is Borderline Personality Disorder?