Help For People With Borderline Personality
Recently I wrote a column on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), outlining symptoms of this severe problem. Many readers requested more information on it, which I will address in today’s column.
People suffering from BPD experience chronic and intense patterns of instability. Borderline personalities feel as though they cannot control their reactions and impulses, and attempting to help them with their problems is very difficult and time consuming.
Those trying to maintain a relationship with someone who suffers from Borderline Personality Disorders often experience some of the following:
Feel that they are being manipulated, controlled or lied to.
Perceive themselves to be the focus of intense rage, sometimes violent, rage, without logical explanation. These rages alternate with periods of loving, normal behavior.
Feel that they must walk on egg shells much of the time in order to stay in a relationship.
The BPD sufferer’s tendency to think in extremes makes people trying to relate with them feel like they are either good or bad, successes or failures, perfect or imperfect with no in-betweens in life.
Borderlines often make others feel as though they can do nothing well. Those trying to please them often feel helpless and trapped because the rules seem to constantly change.
Originally thought to be the “borderline” of psychosis, BPD is found in about 2 percent of the population. This disorder is higher in females and usually begins in adolescence and early adult years. Symptoms often gradually diminishes in middle and later life.
Both genetic and environmental factors are thought to cause BPD. Research demonstrates that many, but not all, individuals with BPD report a history of abuse, neglect, or separation earlier in life.
Many mental health professionals consider Dialectical Behavior Therapy to be the most effective treatment modality for BPD. This approach emphasizes helping the BPD sufferer learn to increase their emotional control by changing the way they view and react to their environment.
Medication may help symptoms of depression and anxiety, that may accompany BPD, although there are no medications specifically for the treatment of BPD.
An excellent Web site providing more information and resources to assist with BPD is www.mhsanctuary.com/borderline/index.html.
Research is continuing to shed new light on this very severe and destructive problem and, like other forms of mental illness, promising new treatments continue to develop.
