Personality disorders are usually fairly simple to diagnose but difficult to treat. In their essence, they are a disorder of personality, which the person with the diagnosis usually describes as, “just how I am”. A person with Borderline Personality Disorder is always in a state of turmoil, unrest, or fear. Relationships and friendships with a person with this disorder are highly volatile, may end quickly, or be held hostage by unstable behavior. Having someone with Borderline Personality Disorder in the home also has its unique challenges.
Causes
The cause for this disorder is hypothesized to be the same as for other personality disorders. Environmental factors may be a strong influence on the development of the disorder and the likelihood of a child developing the disorder increases with parents with a personality disorder diagnosis. Instability, abuse, or neglect in the home increases the incident of mental illness including this disorder. There is also the possibility that there is a dysfunction of the brain chemistry that may cause neurochemical instability contributing to Borderline Personality Disorder. Although the diagnosis of this disorder requires the person to be 18 or older, signs of this disorder may be evident in children and adolescents. The disorder is most likely to occur in young adults and in females.
Signs
A sign that you or someone you know may have this disorder is constant emotional and relational chaos. Impulsivity is often seen in this disorder with extremely risky behavior. It is not uncommon to see risky sexual behavior, drug use, gambling, illegal behavior, and self harm. The patients are usually aware that this behavior is unhealthy and may show intense regret and sorrow at their decisions but will continue the behavior. There are also rapid and intense mood swings that may seem like fleeting deep depression or anxiety that likely include suicidal ideation or acts, physical and verbal aggression, and a lack of control over emotions. The person with Borderline Personality Disorder may verbalize feelings of being misunderstood, wrongly judged, or hated. These feelings create strain in relationships. As hard as the person with this disorder pushes people away they desire many close relationships and may be seen as trying to “collect” people to surround themselves with. Their fear of being alone is always in contrast to their angry and selfish behavior that leads to seclusion. Needless to say, living with or loving someone with this disorder is usually a great emotional drain. Wanting to help them seek help is normal but getting them to accept help is difficult.
Treatment
A mental health professional will be able to determine if the person has Borderline Personality Disorder. An interview with the client, and often with a family member, will give a clear representation of the needs of the client. Treatments for this disorder can be effective if the client is interested in change. There are many techniques that a counselor can use to help treat this disorder. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Schema Focused Therapy, and Mentalization Based Therapy are all found to be useful in the success of treating a person with Borderline Personality Disorder. Each specific therapy is tuned for the individual but it is important to research these techniques before seeking a counselor to see which one appeals to the client more. If the client feels in control of the decision they are more likely to improve their behavior and feel more in control of their emotions. If the client has suicidal ideations, attempts suicide, or threatens the life of others, it is important to get them inpatient psychiatric care for their safety and the safety of their family and friends. There is no medication that can get rid of all the symptoms of this disorder, but there are medications that can treat the most prominent and harmful symptoms such as depression, mood swings, or anxiety.
