Border Personality Disorder - Treating BPD by Psychologists in Melbourne
Everyone has a combination of unique personality traits that influence our overall life - this includes our responses to other people, events, our environment and our emotions. These personality traits navigate how we perceive the world and ourselves. However, some personality vulnerabilities contribute to unhealthy and maladaptive ways of living and coping. Some individuals with maladaptive personality vulnerabilities might create an ongoing unhealthy pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviours, which makes it hard for intense emotions to be coped with effectively. Many people claim that Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can be incredibly challenging to manage, due to the intense emotional suffering experienced by those who live with the condition. When left untreated, BPD may cause serious and harmful issues that may affect our overall quality of life. At Inner Eastern Psychology, we are passionate about emotional well-being, and want to assist individuals in coping and overcoming difficult emotional experiences. In this article, we aim to provide insights from Melbourne Psychologists on BPD . We will also provide support and resources to help treat and navigate the disorder.
Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a disorder that exhibits a pervasive pattern of multiple difficulties, due to the challenges in managing intense emotions effectively. BPD is likely to co-occur with other mental difficulties such as anxiety, depression, trauma, complex trauma etc. These additional mental issues can make it difficult to diagnose and treat BPD. Although there is no direct cause for BPD, research suggests that biology, genetics and traumatic childhood experiences increase the likelihood of developing BPD. See below to understand the features of BPD, and how it impacts one’s life.
What are the Thoughts And Feelings Commonly Experienced by Individuals with BPD?
The inner experience that an individual with BPD has may contribute to intense emotional responses. People with BPD often resonate with feelings of ‘emptiness’ - accompanied by feelings of hopelessness, loneliness or isolation. This sentiment can be a chronic pattern that reduces functional capacity, as individuals feel disconnected from themselves and others. Sometimes individuals with BPD end up with experiences of dissociations - as if they are observing themself outside of their body, and experience feelings of unreality.
It is common for people diagnosed with BPD to have an unstable self image - regularly changing self perception, goals, values and aspirations. The emotional pain of BPD usually creates a shifting self-image which manifests in a variety of ways. It is sometimes difficult to recognise this, as you cannot see the unpredictable change of opinions, beliefs and attitudes very clearly. A clear example would be an individual who frequently changes their career aspirations in a drastic manner - e.g., from wanting to be a nurse to a musician. This difficult experience with self-image is attributed to one of the coping mechanisms we use to regulate emotions, such as black and white thinking, revolving around the difficulty of maintaining duality. Some refer to this as “splitting”. Splitting refers to an extreme ‘all or nothing’ thinking, which contributes to the struggle of holding seemingly opposite qualities of self and others in a cohesive manner. At times, this contributes to self-criticism, moodiness, fear of uncertainty, instability of emotions, etc.
Understanding (Often Self-) Destructive BPD Behaviour
These intense emotions that continually change manifest into impulsive and emotional behaviour that could potentially be harmful to ourselves, and those around us.
Some of these harmful behaviours could include:
Unsafe sex
Alcohol/drug abuse
Binge drinking
Impulsive spending/shopping sprees
Self-harm and suicide attempts
How Borderline Personality Disorder Impacts Relationships
Emotional dysregulation in the context of BPD translates into the relationships we hold in our lives. It is common to see unstable and intense relationships between friends, family and partners. A sense of abandonment we feel can manifest in romantic relationships, and at times, contributing to the need for emotional security and reassurance. Individuals with BPD experience rejection intensely. Even sudden changes in relationships might trigger unhelpful thoughts and intense emotions that involve their fear of abandonment.
Treating Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
BPD is a complex mental health challenge that requires psychologists who are experienced in personality vulnerability. There is extensive evidence on therapy being an effective treatment for BPD, such as Schema Therapy, Mentalisation Based Therapy or Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). Therapy is often complemented by medical intervention such as antidepressants.
If you or someone else would like to seek professional support to assist with BDP, contact Melbourne psychology clinicians at Inner Eastern Psychology today.