Borderline Personality Disorder - facts

Hey everyone! While I have been gallivanting around 7cups I have come across a few people who have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, otherwise known as BPD. I also have been diagnosed with this and it took me a long time to actually understand what it was and how it affects me personally. I thought I would try to give something back by researching and writing a post about exactly what it is and how people can be affected by it to help both people who have been diagnosed and for listeners to understand what the disorder is so they can help members and guests to the best of their ability. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or psychologist and while i have researched all in this post i am not qualified enough in this area to use it as a way to diagnose people or to advise if they may have BPD. Also this is for understanding purposes only and not for others to use as concrete evidence.

WARNING: This may be triggering for some people to read or hard for some people to accept, if you are struggling with this i encourage you to connect with a listener and get some support on the subject.

SUMMARY

Borderline Personality Disorder, otherwise known as BPD, is a mental illness that mainly affects a persons ability to healthily control their emotions, maintain relationships and control their impulsivity. It became an official diagnosis in 1980 and is undergoing intensive research. Less than 1% of the population is diagnosed with BPD and it is estimated that 3 quarters of people diagnosed are women. In 2008 the month of May was declared to be Borderline Personality Disorder awareness month in America and many people wear a grey ribbon or band during the month to show their support.The name borderline has come from the theory that BPD patients are on the border of neurosis and psychosis however there is a lot of controversy over the name in the BPD community as they feel it is misleading.

People are diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder if they have five or more of these symptoms and if the symptoms have a significant impact on their everyday life:

?They have emotions that are up and down with feelings of emptiness and often anger.

?They find it difficult to make and maintain relationships.

?They have an unstable sense of identity, such as thinking differently about themselves depending on who they are with.

?They take risks or do things without thinking about the consequences.

?They harm themselves or often think about harming themselves.

?They fear being abandoned, rejected or being alone.

?They sometimes believe in things that are not real or true (called delusions) or see or hear things that are not really there (called hallucinations).

Professionals find it hard to diagnose BPD as it covers such a wide range of behaviours and can present itself in many ways.

Signs and Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder

Emotions:

People who suffer from BPD feel emotions easier, for longer and more intensely than others. Their negative emotions, such as anger and sadness, are normally what they struggle to deal with the most. They may repeatedly reignite their feelings, which can prolong their reactions, and they can take a long time to recover from an intense emotion. They are especially sensitive to rejection, isolation and perceived failure. Also, their emotions can change and swing rapidly throughout the day, without warning. However, while BPD patients feel joy intensely, they normally swing between either depression and anxiety, or anger and anxiety. People with BPD are very prone to dysphoria, which is when a person experiences intense feelings of depression, anxiety, and in some cases, lack of identity. This can lead to self destructiveness, feelings of victimisation and suicidal behaviour. Also, some people may learn to shut negative emotions down to protect themselves from their intense feelings. This leads to them feeling numb and emotionless and sometimes lacking empathy. It also affects their decision making skills in everyday life. This is called dissociation.

Dissociation:

Dissociation is an intense form of zoning out or daydreaming. It mainly occurs due to experiencing a painful event or experiencing something that triggers the memory of a distressing event. It protects against and provides a temporary relief from experiencing intense emotion and unwanted behavioural impulses. However, this can cause blocking and blunting ordinary emotions, preventing the information in these emotions to get through, which in turn hindrances everyday life; such as decision making and focusing on tasks. Sometimes it is possible to notice when someone is dissociating, as they may become unresponsive, distracted, emotionless or expressionless. However, a lot of the time it is gone unnoticed, as the person can still function and talk while dissociating.

Behaviour:

People who are diagnosed with BPD are often impulsive because it gives them immediate relief from their emotional pain, they often don?t care or don?t think about the consequence of their actions until after they have acted on the impulse.These impulses can include:

?Drug abuse.

?Alcohol abuse.

?Eating disorders.

?Unprotected and indiscriminate sex.

?Quitting jobs.

?Self-harm.

?Running away from home.

Although it may give a quick remedy to their emotional pain, they develop shame and guilt for their actions, which they can?t handle so they use their impulses. This soon becomes a continuing cycle. As the cycle goes on, the stronger and more extreme the impulsive behaviour and emotions become. The impulsive behaviours also become an automatic response to anything they feel they may not be able to cope with. This makes it extremely hard to stop.

Relationships:

People who suffer from BPD find interpersonal relationships difficult. This is because they use what is called black and white thinking. They feel intense joy and gratitude at perceived expressions of kindness, and intense anger and sadness at perceived criticism. This can lead to idealising and devaluing people, making it hard to maintain a relationship. Although people with BPD strongly desire intimacy, they are normally insecure and avoidant. This makes them doubt peoples intentions, and can view the world as dangerous and unkind. Although it is difficult, many people with BPD develop strong emotional bonds with others. However, if these relationships suffer a breakdown and can no longer continue, it can be hard to accept the loss. The pain is very much like the grief we feel when a loved one has passed away, but the emotions don?t seem to fade with time and in some cases, it enhances the need to keep trying to salvage the relationship, even if the other person isn't interested anymore.

Self-harm and Suicidal Behaviour:

Self-harm is part of the diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder. Managing and controlling this can be challenging, as it can also be an impulse they suffer with. Self-injury can be with or without suicidal intent.People who are not suicidal may do it because:

?They need a way to express their anger.