Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a form of mental illness associated with conditions like ‘neurosis’ and ‘psychosis’, in which a person may experience inconsistent moods and feelings in an erratic pattern.
In simpler words, the person is unable to entirely control any emotions, which results in impulsive conduct and frenzied interactive relationships.
Symptoms and Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder
A borderline personality disorder is essentially an illness connected with the emotional regulation of a person. A person living with borderline personality disorder might experience very intense emotions. They may be empathetic and understanding and show disregard and contempt at the same time. This sudden shift in the emotional change may result in the person neglecting their safety, which leads them to self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
Signs of Borderline Personality Disorder
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, the following are the signs of borderline personality disorder (BPD)-
- Losing a sense of self and having a poor directional sense of your own personality reflects a feeling of insecurity and self-doubt.
- Weakened personal relationships show an inability to have compassion towards others and fear of commitments.
- Overwhelming difficult traits in manners include unexpected changes in mood, feeling panic, the constant fear of being abandoned, regular fits of anxiety, carelessness and, depression, resentment towards fellow peers.
Causes and Common Triggers
There is no pre-written handbook as to what causes borderline personality disorder, but like most mental illnesses, its roots lie in social, familial, and genetic factors. The highest risk factors involved dysfunctional life, childhood trauma, emotional or physical abuse, and a family history of BPD.
The most common trigger of a BPD episode is the occurrence of an event that leads the person into spawning reckless emotional perceptions. This event might be as insignificant as being assigned a small task at school/work, to something crucial such as falling into an argument with a loved one.
Things you should Avoid Saying to BPD Person
More often than not, a person may show extreme signs of borderline personality disorder and may trigger when someone is dismissive about their condition. At this point, the only thing is to understand their need and support them with your unconditional love and care.
The following are a few sentences you should never say to a person suffering from BPD.
- Are you sure borderline personality is even real?
- Do not be so childish.
- Do not try to seek attention from people.
- Stop overthinking everything.
- You don’t look like anything is wrong with you, you seem everything is going smoothly.
How to Control BPD
Here are a few daily tips to go about for a person experiencing borderline personality disorder.
- Established a routine
- Track your medications
- Reach out to people when needed
- Practice daily self-care
- Do a random mood check twice a day
- Try to get enough sleep
- Stay organized by listing important things out
- Spend time with people you love
“Mental health is not a stigma, and it can be overcome by love and compassion”
BPD Treatment
Despite being an incurable condition, research has proved that effective treatments reduce the symptoms of people with BPD.
The following are the most common borderline personality disorder treatments that are being practised –
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
The dialectical behaviour therapy emphasis on awareness of the mind and paying close attention to the current emotional condition. DBT instils the practice of controlling strong feelings, decreasing self-destructive and self-depreciative thoughts, and improves behavioural relations. The main aim of DBT is to enable a person to accept and embrace one’s erratic behaviours, control them with a well-organised, thoughtful and pre-emptive approach. Treatment through DBT is comprised of therapy sessions, group tasks for skill sets, and phone sessions in case of urgency.
- Mentalization-based therapy (MBT)
This approach is basically to talk therapy, wherein the identification, understanding and compassion towards others perspective and feelings.
- Medications
These medications don’t necessarily cure BPD as much as they help reduce the underlying symptoms associated with the condition like depression, mood swings and anxiety.
- Self-care activities
These include having a planned routine, exercising or meditation, getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and stress management practices to improve impulsiveness and bad temper.
In a recent statistical report released by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), it is stated that BPD traits seem in one among six individuals.
Bottom Line
It is not easy to cope with mental illness. The best way to help someone going through the same is to learn as much as you can and spread awareness about it. Mental health is not a stigma, and it can be overcome by love and compassion. Be kind to one another.
