Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Personality disorders are characterised by an enduring pattern of inner experiences and behaviours, which are inflexible, maladaptive and cause significant functional impairment or distress to the individual. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder that is characterised by a pervasive and enduring pattern of some of the following challenges: unstable and intense relationships, disturbance of identity and image, impulsivity and / or reckless behaviours, recurrent suicidality and / or self-harm, intense and dysregulated emotions, extensive efforts to avoid abandonment, chronic feelings of emptiness, intense anger, and transient dissociative or paranoid thoughts. BPD usually co-occurs with other mental health challenges, such as Anxiety, Depression, Trauma etc.
Although some people might be able to relate to some of the features above, they do not necessarily have BPD. Personality disorders are rather complex mental health disorders to understand and to diagnose, thus it is important to speak to a mental health professional about your experience. Additionally, it is sometimes helpful to view BPD from a dimensional perspective and understand the individual maladaptive traits, and how they fit within one’s system.
One of the most efficacious treatments of BPD is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). There are different components of DBT. In individual therapy, depending on your needs, DBT-informed approach can involve skills training, psychoeducation, understanding and changing problematic behaviours, learning skills to regulate emotions and improve interpersonal relationships etc. There is also evidence of effectiveness of treating BPD using Schema Therapy and Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT).
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Frequently Asked Questions
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People with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) generally experience struggles in 3 domains, including interpersonal relationships, sense of self, and emotional regulation. More specifically, BPD may manifest in pervasive patterns of emotional instability, (ongoing) feelings of emptiness even when one is not alone, fractic fear of abandonment, significant challenges in interpersonal relationships, suicidal ideation or self-harm, intense and inappropriate anger, distress-related paranoid idetaion or dissociations that are transient.
It is important to acknowledge that BPD presents in different ways, and the relative severity of each feature may vary significantly for each person.
BPD is a complex disorder and consulting a psychologist to discuss this diagnosis should be considered.
Note: We use “features” instead of “symptoms” to discuss challenges experienced by individuals with BPD to indicate the ongoing nature of the struggles.
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A number of therapeutic approaches are effective for BPD, such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, Mentalisation-based therapy, Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) etc.
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As with other psychological disorders, the causes and etiology of BPD are complex. Research has shown that biological factors and genetics contribute to the development of BPD. Environmental factors, such as childhood trauma, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, along with invalidating and / or unsupportive care givers, have also been shown to be related to BPD. With the above predispositions and vulnerabilities, as well as a lack of emotional regulation skills, BPD features can also be perpetuated by other negative life challenges, such as relationship break down, loss of jobs etc.
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Very often, individuals with BPD also experience other mental health concerns, such as Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Complex Trauma, Substance misuse, disordered eating etc.