Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is an emotional disorder that causes severe stress to the person who suffers from it and the people who love them. The borderline personality disordered individual suffers from emotional instability, and a distorted image of themselves. The Borderline person lives life as if on an emotional rollercoaster, and loved ones frequently feel as if they are along for the ride.
Borderline people will suffer from self-hate and self-loathing. Feeling misunderstood, alone, empty and hopeless, the person will act out violently at times.
Signs and Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder
The person suffering from this disorder will have poor impulse control. Risky behavior is part of the impulsivity, they will have unprotected sex, use drugs, go on gambling sprees, drive erratically. Very strong emotions come and go and inappropriate anger is common. Having difficulty controlling emotions the person will act suicidal; engage in self harm such as cutting or burning themselves, and physical violence to others.
Feelings of emptiness and boredom are also symptoms of borderline personality disorder. There is a strong fear of being alone, but their actions push people away and there are usually patterns of unstable relationships. Wide mood swings are common, as are periods of paranoia and loss of contact with reality. The person may appear manipulative but this is actually an attempt to control their lives.
Abandonment and loss are a huge fear for the BPD. Dependence on others can be severe. The BPD sufferers will show no self-discipline, feel emotionally deprived, have a fear of losing emotional control, feel unlovable, and will often do what other tell them to do because of these fears.
Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder is more common among first degree relatives. Environmental conditions increase the incidence of BPD. People who come from abusive, chaotic, unstable, contradictory environments have a higher incidence of BPD. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, brain abnormalities also contribute to this disorder. The parts of the brain and chemicals involved in emotions do not work as they should. The cause is most likely a combination of all of the above. The diagnosis is more common in women than men.
Complications of Borderline Personality Disorder
Because of their erratic, demanding and unusual behavior there ultimately is damage to intimate relationships’, jobs, school, social life and self image. The BPD individuals may suffer from depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, and bipolar affective disease.
Defense Mechanisms Used by the BPD Individual
Splitting is when the person sees everything, situations, people, actions of others, in black and white. Everything is either good or bad, but not both.
The BPD will expect certain negative situations to occur, so they will behave in a way that make this happen.
Idealization is when a person will overlook flaws in others and devaluation is when the person will see others as only bad. It’s all or nothing with the BPD individual.
Denial is when the person will defend themselves, even against obvious evidence of their actions.
How Does the Borderline Personality Disorder See the World
The BPD sufferer will tend to see the world as mistrustful, dangerous, and malevolent.
How to Deal With the Borderline Personality Disordered Individual
Communicate as directly and honestly as possible, do not argue as you cannot reason with them and do not take what they say and do personally. This is not about you, it is about the disease.
There is Help Available
Psychotherapy, group therapy and support groups are all available. Treatment for BPDs has a poor outlook because the person does not like to comply with treatment. A person who feels caught up in someone’s BPD can also get help through counceling.