Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

What Are the Types of Borderline Personality Disorders?

According to the book “Disorders of Personality DSM-IV and Beyond," the types of borderline personality disorder are classified into 4 categories. Let us understand this better through the following bullet points:

• Discouraged BPD: People who are diagnosed with discouraged BPD have an intense fear of abandonment. This intense fear can be real or imagined. People with the discouraged type of BPD can be clingy and more people-pleasing. They will also go along with situations even though they feel it might be wrong. Individuals will want to make others happy because they don't want others to leave them. As a result of all of these symptoms, people with discouraged BPD become codependent or enmeshed. People with discouraged BPD can also struggle with self-worth and struggle to know who they truly are.
• Impulsive BPD: Someone with this type of borderline personality disorder would do things impulsively without thorough or critical thinking. This can lead to us spending a lot of money. People could struggle with gambling and binge eating. They can be involved in sexually dangerous behaviour.
• Self-Destructive BPD: People with self-destructive BPD tend to focus on more demeaning or long-term hurtful things. People with this type have suicidal thoughts and behaviours, self-injury, feelings of emptiness, and a lack of self-worth. A person can lead to self-destructive acts like sabotaging their careers, engaging in illicit substance use, and risky sexual behaviours. A lot of people in this self-destructive type feel numbed out, almost completely disconnected from themselves and their lives.
• Petulant BPD: A person experiences mood dysregulation when they have petulant BPD. A person can feel excited and happy for one minute and bitter and rage-filled the next. These mood shifts can last for seconds, days, and even weeks. Individuals can show inappropriate and intense anger. Splitting behaviours also occur in this type. People of this type will be dicey, as they want to be all alone, away from people, but on the other hand, they want to be surrounded by other people.

How Do You Diagnose Borderline Personality Disorder?

Personality disorders, like borderline personality disorder, can be difficult to identify because many people with these disorders don't realise how their behaviour and thoughts are causing problems. The diagnosis of borderline personality disorder might involve:

• A thorough talk with your doctor or a mental health expert.
• Medical history and check-up.
• Impulsivity Control

A borderline personality disorder is typically diagnosed in adulthood—not in childhood or adolescence. This is because the symptoms that are attributed to BPD in children or teenagers may disappear when they grow up or become more responsible.

What Is the Treatment of Bipolar Personality Disorder?

The treatment of borderline personality disorder can be difficult because of its traits and characteristics. Some of the treatments for borderline personality disorder typically include:

• Psychological Treatment: Psychotherapy or talk therapy such as dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and psychodynamic psychotherapy can be used for treating BPD. Schematic-focused therapy is used to change negative ways of thinking. Mentalisation-based therapy enables patients to jot down how they feel and how they look at matters. Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem-Solving is a 20-week treatment program where you attend group therapy with your family members, carers, friends, or significant others.
• Medications: It may be instrumental to a treatment plan, but there is no one medication specifically made to treat symptoms of BPD. Rather, several medications can be used to treat various symptoms. For example, mood stabilisers and antidepressants help with mood swings and dysphoria. And for some, low-dose antipsychotic medication may help control symptoms such as disorganised thinking.
• Short-term hospitalisation: This may be necessary during times of extreme stress and impulsive or suicidal behaviour to ensure safety.

How Can You Help Someone With Borderline Personality Disorder?

Do you have a friend or a family member who is diagnosed with BPD? You cannot force them to get treatment, but you can certainly help them by developing effective communication. Here are some ways through which you can help your loved ones with BPD:

Learning all you can When your loved one is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, it is important to understand that your loved one is in pain. This also means that the destructive and hurtful behaviours are a result of pain. In other words, they aren’t focused on you. Learning about BPD (borderline personality disorder) won’t fix your relationship problems right away, but it can help you understand what’s going on and deal with challenges in better ways.

Be calm and consistent. If your loved one is feeling overwhelming emotions, this may provide them with a sense of security, which will be helpful when in disagreement. If you start to feel angry or upset, take a break by yourself or go for a walk if you can.

Help them remember their good qualities. When someone you care about feels bad about themselves, it can help to tell them all the good things you see in them.

Set clear limits. Keeping good boundaries and expectations can go a long way. If, for instance, your loved one feels rejected or abandoned, or if you see that they are worried that someone will leave them, it can be helpful to talk openly about what you both expect from each other. Try to stay calm and patient while discussing things if there are any misunderstandings.

What are the common myths about borderline personality disorder?

Individuals with borderline personality disorders are probably the most stigmatized. Some of the most common myths and misconceptions about BPD are:

Myth: BPD Only Affects Women.

Fact: Both men and women suffer from BPD.

Myth: BPD is rare.

Fact: BPD affects millions of people throughout the world.

Myth: BPD is not treatable.

Fact: BPD can be successfully treated using therapies and medications.