Borderline Personality Disorder: Treatment in WI

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental illness that can impact the emotional side of a person. People with this disorder are impulsive and have no control over their emotional side.

They have a negative self-image, have intense mood swings, and can have unstable relationships with people around them. Their extreme behavior can push people away from them but they want the love and support of people around them.

Its symptoms usually show in early adulthood, and with time, this disorder can start getting better with proper treatment.

Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder:

The common symptoms of this personality disorder are:

• Unstable relationships with people around them.
• Having suicidal thoughts and negative self-image.
• Seeing things as all good or all bad.
• Unsafe behavior such as overeating, fast driving, unsafe sex, etc.
• Having a chronic feeling of emptiness.
• Having intense anger issues.
• Wide mood swings can last for a few days or a few months.
• Unrealistic thoughts or cutting off from reality.
• Impulsive decisions such as quitting a good job or ending a relationship.

Some patients can have more symptoms and some can have fewer symptoms in them.

Causes of Borderline Personality Disorders:

Researchers are unsure of the reasons why this personality disorder occurs in people, but different studies show that social, genetic, and environmental factors can increase the risk of developing it.

• A close family member of theirs is suffering from this disease.
• These people’s brain structures are a bit different, especially the area that controls emotions.
• They can have traumatic life events such as facing abuse or hardships.

It can happen that a person with this disorder hasn’t undergone any of these causes in his lifetime. Or, it can also happen, that a person with these causes will not develop this personality disorder.

Treatment:

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an effective treatment for people with BPD. If a patient undergoes this psychotherapy under the supervision of an expert psychiatrist, he can overcome this personality disorder.

This psychotherapy was introduced by Marsha Linehan and her colleagues in the late 1980s. It is an advanced form of cognitive behavioral therapy.

It helps patients to control their emotions and let them live in the current moment. It helps them in developing healthy ways to cope with stress and other extreme feelings.

There are three types of settings in which DBT is used:

• Group Therapy: In it, patients remain in group settings to learn behavioral skills.
• Individual Therapy: In it, patients learned to apply behavioral skills in personal life challenges.
• Phone coaching: The patient can call his therapist to get guidance when stuck in a difficult situation.

In the first stage of treatment, the therapist addressed self-destructive behavior. In the second stage, the focus is averted to improve the person’s quality of life. The third stage addresses the relationship and self-esteem issues of patients. The fourth stage helps in enhancing the quality of life of the patient.

This therapy teaches core mindfulness, distress tolerance, Interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation. It helps patients focus on the present moment and prevent negative thoughts.

As shared above, DBT is an effective therapy to treat borderline personality disorder. If you or someone you know is struggling with borderline personality disorder or it’s symptoms, please reach out to our staff at Behavioral Health Clinic (BHC). With offices in Wisconsin and our ability to work virtually with clients, we would like to help you. Call today Individual DBT therapy as well as group work is available at BHC. Scan to learn more about our clinic and staff who work with individuals exhibiting borderline personality disorder symptoms: