(800) 651-7254Borderline Personality Disorder
How Borderline Personality Disorder Affects Your Life
Borderline personality disorder, often shortened to BPD, is a mental illness characterized by intensely varying moods, self-image, and behavior. Perhaps more than any other mental health concern, BPD is frequently misunderstood and misrepresented in our culture.
Borderline personality disorder is a serious diagnosis that affects a person’s self-perception and relationships. Furthermore, it can catalyze patterns of self-sabotage, including manipulation, dependency, and substance abuse. If you or someone you love are suffering from the pain and turbulence associated with BPD, it’s vital to seek help as soon as possible.
Signs of BPD
Borderline personality disorder is marked by instability in self-image, emotions, and relationships. People with BPD also begin to exhibit a pattern of impulsive decisions beginning in early adulthood. The emotional tumult and impulsive behavior associated with borderline personality disorder can put sufferers at risk of drug or alcohol abuse.
It is important to note that BPD is of particular concern to women. 75% of people who are diagnosed with borderline personality disorder are women, meaning that this mental disorder has a ratio of 3:1 female to male; this is particularly pronounced for a mental health diagnosis.
If you experience five or more of the following symptoms, please consider contacting a clinical professional for treatment.
- Emotional instability in daily life (intense episodic sadness, anxiety, or irritability lasting a few hours or days)
- Inappropriate or overly intense anger, difficulty controlling one’s temper
- Efforts to avoid abandonment (real or imagined)
- Impulsive behavior in two self-damaging areas (shopping, substance abuse, sex, binge eating, self-harm, etc.)
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Identity disturbance (unstable self-image)
- Pattern of unstable relationships in which one switches between idealizing and devaluing the other person (splitting)
- Suicidal behavior, ideation, or threats
- Paranoid ideation or dissociative symptoms
Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder
Treating BPD can be challenging, and it is critical that individuals with this diagnosis find an accredited, reputable team of clinicians. Women with borderline personality disorder may experience waves of hostility, depression, and anxiety. In response to this emotional rollercoaster, they might have begun attempting to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. When this is the case, dual diagnosis treatment is required.
At Canyon Crossing Recovery, we offer dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) for the treatment of borderline personality disorder. DBT can help self-destructive people to find motivation and begin making significant lifestyle changes while navigating potential triggers. This modality helps the women of Canyon Crossing to cultivate stability, acceptance, and a sense of meaning in their lives.
To learn more about our transitional living programs for women or inquire about financing, call 800.651.7254 today.
