Borderline Personality Disorder – BPD Treatment

A Quick Guide

A borderline personality disorder is a serious mental condition that leads a person to emotional instability, lack of impulse control, and instability in interpersonal relationships. About 1.4% of the adult US population has BPD, so we know that it is not such a common disorder. The treatment of BPD includes different forms of therapies, medication, or in some circumstances hospitalization if necessary.

Treatment for BPD

There are a lot of effective treatments available for BPD today though it is very important to give yourself enough time, for the treatment to take its full effect. Whether it’s therapy or medication, you need to be patient and fully committed to your treatment.

Psychotherapy for BPD

Psychotherapy is a kind of talk therapy that can help you identify and regulate your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Though it needs a collaborative effort between you and your therapist. There are different types of psychotherapies that you can try to see which one suits you the best.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT is also a form of CBT also known as cognitive-behavioral therapy. DBT is the most common type of therapy recommended to BPD patients. It involves weekly individual or group therapy sessions. Your therapist may also provide you with an out-of-hours contact number if your symptoms get out of hand.

In DBT, your therapist helps you identify your negative thoughts and feelings. This is how you can learn ultimately, to regulate your emotions, improve your relationships, and change your self-harming behaviors. This approach has been very effective to treat women with BPD and is recommended by the National Institute For Health And Care Excellence (NICE).

Schema Focused Therapy

Schema-focused therapy can be done individually or in a group setting. This approach is also similar to CBT and includes some aspects of psychoanalysis. Your therapist will help you identify your unmet needs in childhood that are the main cause behind your current unhealthy coping mechanisms. It will focus on changing those behaviors with positive thinking and healthy coping.

Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT)

This type of therapy is mostly done on people with poor impulse control which is why it is so effective for people with BPD. The sessions may last about 18 months. This approach focuses on helping you identify your mental state. Whether the thoughts you are having are valid or not, and how they might affect you and others around you. It can help you to see your situation from an alternative perspective. It can help you gradually learn to think before you act.

Transference Focused Psychotherapy 

This is mostly a form of psychodynamic approach. It uses the phenomenon of transference. Transference is transferring your feelings and your expectations to a person in your present, which in this case is the therapist. Then the therapist can help you in identifying your emotions and your interpersonal difficulties. Once you have that awareness, you can then apply that to your current situation.

Medication for BPD

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any specific medication for BPD. But in cases when you may have anxiety or depression, your doctor can prescribe some medication such as anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, mood stabilizers, anti-anxiety medication, etc. 

It is very important to discuss with your doctor the benefits and the side effects that the drugs can have on your body. 

Hospitalization

If in case your symptoms have severely worsened, you can become a threat to yourself due to either self-harming behavior or suicidal tendencies. This is why it is safe for you to get treatment in a psychiatric hospital. If you are at risk, then you should seek help immediately. You can either call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. They may keep you under observation until your crisis has passed.

We hope this article was useful for you in understanding the different treatments for BPD.

Learn more about: How Is BPD Linked With Eating Disorders? All You Need To Know