BPD is a mental health condition that would make everything unstable like your identity, behavior, thinking, mood, and relationships. Today, we’ll discuss what is borderline personality disorder; its symptoms, causes, complications, and treatment.
What is Borderline Personality Disorder?
A borderline personality disorder is a mental health condition that affects how you feel, think, and deal with yourself and others, and creates problems in performing various functions in your life. It comprises of the pattern of unstable relationships, difficulty in managing behavior and emotions, and self-image issues.
In borderline personality disorder, you would feel the difficulty of being alone, unstable feelings and behavior, and fear of abandonment. You would also experience mood swings frequently that would push you the other way, impulsive behavior, fear of abandonment even though you want to have a long-lasting relationship, and inappropriate anger.
BPD usually starts in early adult life, and the conditions aggravate in young adulthood and become better with age. If you have BPD, then you shouldn’t feel bad or discouraged. People with BPD condition get better with proper treatment, and they live a satisfactory life.
Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder
Some of the main symptoms and signs of borderline personality disorder are as follows;
- Engaging in a physical fight, bitterly sarcastic, losing your temper frequently, intense and inappropriate anger
- Feelings of emptiness consistently
- Mood swings ranging from a few hours to a few days comprising of anxiety, shame, irritability, and happiness
- Fear of rejection and separation, self-injury, and suicidal behavior and thoughts
- Risky behaviors like ending the happy relationship, quitting a well-paid job, sabotaging success, drug abuse, eating disorders, overspending, unsafe sex, reckless driving, and gambling
- Losing contact with reality and stress paranoia ranging from a few minutes to hours
- Changes in self-image and self-identity comprising of perceiving yourself bad and shifting goals and values
- The patter of unstable relationship like idealizing someone at one instance and then considering that the person doesn’t care about you or is cruel
- Fear of abandonment and then going to the extreme in order to avoid the rejection or separation either real or imagined
Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder
Like causes of other mental health conditions, the exact causes of BPD aren’t clear. It develops due to environmental factors like a history of neglect and child abuse. Some of the other causes of BPD are as follows;
Brain Abnormalities
Studies have shown that changes in various areas of the brain comprise aggression, impulsivity, and emotional regulations. Your brain releases chemicals like serotonin in order to regulate your mood when you aren’t functioning well.
Genetics
Studies have shown that BPD could inherit in families, and it has got strong links with other mental health disorders among family members
Risk Factors
Some of the risk factors that could amplify the chances of borderline personality disorder are as follows;
Stressful Childhood
Many people with BPD have reported being neglected in childhood and experiencing physical or sexual abuse. Some of them have lost or experienced separation from their parents, or their caregivers or parents have got substance abuse or other mental health condition. Others faced unstable family relationships and hostile conflict.
Hereditary Predisposition
If your sister, brother, father, or mother have BPD, then your chances of getting it are high.
Complications
Borderline personality disorder could badly impact various areas of life and your relationships and work.
- Suicidal attempts, successful or not
- Involving in a physical fight due to risky and impulsive behavior, vehicle accidents, sexually transmitted disease, or having an unplanned pregnancy
- Having an abusive relationship
- Burning, cutting, and doing other self-injuries, and going to the hospital frequently
- Divorce, marital stress, and conflicted relationships
- Jail time and other legal issues
- Leaving the education and school without completing it
- Losing or changing job repetitively
Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder
Studies have shown that you can treat BPD, but it requires getting help from the mental health professional and following the treatment plan consistently. After the treatment, the BPD patient could live a better quality of life. Some of the main treatment plans are as follows;
Medications
Your doctor would recommend some medication depending on the severity of symptoms like mood swings, depression, or stress.
Psychotherapy
The therapeutic approach is the standard treatment of BPD. MBT (metallization-based treatment) or DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) are some of the main types of therapies. It would involve caregivers, friends, and family members.
Other Treatment
Hospitalization and other intensive treatment plans are necessary under severe circumstances.
How to Deal with BPD
If a person has BPD, then one should follow certain things in order to deal with the BPD symptoms better. Some of the main tips that could improve your quality of life are as follows;
Give it Time
BPD and its symptoms fade away with the passage of time, and you should give the treatment time to show its results.
Following Treatment Plan
Studies have shown that following the treatment plan consistently could reduce the symptoms of BPD. People diagnosed with BPD couldn’t meet the criteria of other disorders and treatment.
Working with Therapist
On the bright, BPD is treatable after the correct diagnosis. Your doctor would devise a treatment plan for you comprising of medication, therapy, and other treatment. You have to work with your therapist.
Accurate Diagnosis
Symptoms of BPD are like that everyone exhibits it from now and then, and some of its symptoms are similar to other physical and mental health issues. Only an expert professional could diagnose it.
Appropriate Treatment
If any of your acquaintances or close ones is exhibiting the symptoms of BPD, then it’s significant you should get the help of any licensed professional.
Conclusion: What is Borderline Personality Disorder? Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
After an in-depth study of what is borderline personality disorder; its symptoms, causes, risk factors, treatment, and how to deal with it; we’ve realized that BPD could badly impact your life. If any of your close ones are exhibiting symptoms of BPD, then you should consult the nearest licensed professional in your area.
Ahsan is an accomplished researcher and has a deep insight in worldly life affairs. He goes Live 3 days a week on various social media platforms. Other than research writing, he’s a very interesting person.
