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Borderline Personality Disorder

Are you afraid of being alone? Are you trying to grasp onto others so tightly that it starts to hurt your relationship? Perhaps it is more than your personality!

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is  a disorder where the mood, self-image and behaviour changes quickly. Time duration varies; this could happen during an hour or last up to days. General speaking, girls are more likely to have it than boys.

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BPD is not an isolated issue. If you have it, you are more likely to face other mental challenges such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or suicidal thoughts.

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With BPD, it is harder for you to control your emotions, leading to:

  • unnecessary risks

  • increased self-awareness

  • intense mood swings

  • other mental challenges

  • disrupted family and friendships

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Causes

There is no known specific causes of BPD, but it is believed, like other mental health conditions, to be a combination of brain structure, genetic make-up and life experiences.

 

Oftentimes, just these two criteria – emotional instability and self-injurious behaviour – are enough to merit a diagnosis of BPD.

  • Fear of abandonment
    Patients of BPD strongly avoid to be left out and exaggerate the alone time as being "abandoned". Even if the "abandonment" is minor or imagined, they are still frightened. Frantic efforts to avoid loneliness.
     

  • Intense, unstable relationships
    This includes quick partner shift or friendship. Lack of boundaries. Idealises/devalues – cannot tolerate ambiguity.
     

  • Impulsivity
    Self-damaging acts. Inability to control unethical behaviours: shoplifting, drug abuse, speeding sprees, etc
     

  • Emotional instability
    frequent and dramatic changes in affect; too short to be considered changes in mood

  • Suicidal thoughts
    This includes threats or gestures that denotes suicides, overdoes not intended to be lethal, self-mutilation, or suicidal notes frequently written and left in areas easily found
     

  • Persistent feelings of emptiness, guilt, and loneliness
     

  • Inability to control emotions
    Difficulties with anger control: cutting, slashing, burning or other acts of violence
     

  • Episodes of dissociation
    paranoid ideas or illusions are transient and induced by stressful external events
     

  • Disturbances of self-image/self-concept

Signs & Signals
Treatment for BPD

There is no medication used to help the patients to fully recover from BPD but it helps with some of the symptoms. BPD is treatable! Psychotherapy, medication, and group, peer, and family support are the most recommended and effective ways to deal with Borderline Personality Disorder. So, don't be afraid to speak up if you need help!

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Some therapies for the disorder include:

  • Didactical behavioural therapy (DBT). The therapy tries to take the special problems of borderline personality disorder into account, using a combination of psychotherapy techniques, education, and both individual and group psychotherapy to support the patient's progress

  • Metallisation based therapy (MBT)

  • Cognitive behavioural therapy

  • Schema-focused therapy. The therapy tries to address maladaptive points of view believed to originate in childhood and replace those "schemas" with a healthier one through a variety of cognitive therapy techniques

BPD = Bipolar Disorder?

With similar symptoms (for instance, mood swings and impulsive behaviour), many may confuse borderline personality disorder with bipolar disorder and fail to tell the difference in between. But they are two distinct conditions with different approaches to treatment.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

  • a PERSONALITY disorder: the fundamental differences between the individual and other people

  • Two phases: splitting or black and white thinking episodes

  • Strongly associated with life events

  • More related to mood changes owned by inherited personality: irritability, sadness, feelings of emptiness, etc

  •  Impulsivity is a  chronic presenting complaint in patients 
     

Signs & Symptoms

  • Extreme fear of rejection and abandonment, both real and imagined

  • Stormy personal relationships swinging from idealisation to devaluation

  • Unstable self-image

  • Chronic feelings of emptiness and boredom

  • Emotional instability

  • Impulsivity leads to self-harm

  • Paranoid or dissociative thoughts

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Bipolar Disorder (BD)

  • a MOOD disorder: individuals relationships with their emotions

  • Two phases: manic and depressive

  • Not much related to life events

  • Has at least one episode of mania or hypomania, mostly associated with depression

  • Impulsive nature os only associated with the context of manic or depressive phases
     

Signs & Symptoms​

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Manic Episodes​​​

  • Extremely hyped 

  • Diminished needs to rest or sleep

Depressive Episodes

  • Changes in weight and appetite 

  • Hypersomnia or insomnia

  • Loss of energy

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Common Types of Borderline Personality Disorder

It is useful to know which of the following subtypes you fall into to better communicate with your mental health professional​. You may not know where you fall, and you may not fall into one of those categories – that's okay. What's important is that you understand your condition and are commit to the treatment.

  1. Discouraged Borderline
    This happens when one only looks in the negative side of life: no matter what, he/she just can't thrive. They may stop socialising as they strongly believe that no-one will appreciate the negative elements they bring. He or she will, therefore, be extremely vulnerable to self-awareness and feelings of unworthiness. The other extreme is he or she may be overly dependent on others, hoping to find some sense of self-worth.
     

  2. Impulsive Borderline
    When referring to BPD, impulsive is the "borderline" we normally think of. This type of person is in constant conflict with society. Patients with this disorder lose their ability to make ethical decisions, leading to antisocial personality disorder. Violence and chaos are common. 
     

  3. Petulant Borderline
    A passive-aggressive person. In order to meet others' expectation or needs, the patients will injury themselves, either emotionally or physically. This could result in an unstable sense of self, a frantic fear of abandonment, and inability to express their needs. For them, relationships will be a game of  "if you really loved me, then you should...."
     

  4. Self-Destructive Borderline
    The patients of this disorder may feel emotionless; nothing could trigger their feelings, leading to depression or self-injury as co-occuring mental health problems.

Tips to deal with Borderline Personality Disorder

  • Distract yourself from the emotions. Watch horror movies, listen to heavy metal music, or sports competitions (whatever that could stimulate your glands and make you feel excited) that may distract you from your current status. The movies, for instance, are extremely intense with a good resolution that may let you feel a sense of relieve.
     

  • Exercise. Intense workouts such as boxing using a heavy sandbag. This can help you let go your rage, lifting the emotions without being destructive.
     

  • Cleaning. Keeping your environment nice and tidy is visually appealing. Houseworks can also help slow the busy lifestyle down, giving yourself a break to unwind and relax.
     

  • Cold shower with your clothes on. When the emotions are intense and you are having destructive urges, the cold water helps ground the body into reality. The clothes help elongate the feelings and allow you to have an alone time.
     

  • Try creative activities. Dance it out, do arts, or write a poetry to express your feelings! You can also simply write down your ideas as bullet points. This helps clarify exactly what’s going on.
     

  • Watch cute animal videos and cat gifs. Pretty self-explanatory.

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