Treatment for High-Functioning BPD Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is the treatment of choice for individuals diagnosed with BPD. DBT for BPD is a multi-dimensional treatment approach that involves individual and group therapy, phone coaching in-between sessions, and groups that focus on building skills.
High-functioning may mean that you can make it through the day with BPD while hiding your turmoil from others. Perhaps you keep others at arm's length in order to avoid conflicts and loss. On the outside, you're able to keep your symptoms quiet.
High-functioning BPD is the result of trauma—an overwhelmingly painful experience in your life. This trauma may not be visible but comes in the form of chronic emotional abuse or neglect. Due to having dysfunctional or immature parents or siblings, you might have been burdened with too much too soon.
Coping skills for BPD are often centered around learning to manage moments of emotional instability and/or control anger. Some techniques to help in these situations could include: Using stress-reduction techniques, like deep breathing or meditation. Engaging in light exercise, like walking or yoga.
BPD in particular is one of the lesser-known mental illnesses, but all the same it is one of the hardest to reckon with. (Some people dislike the term so much they prefer to refer to emotionally unstable personality disorder.)
Someone with BPD may go to great lengths to feel something, as well as becoming increasingly withdrawn and avoidant during an episode. Paranoid thoughts of everyone being out to get them and hating them are also common during these times. Episodes can also be extreme highs, bursts of euphoria and positive emotions.
High-functioning BPD tends to leave a person feeling chronic emptiness, uncertainty about their identity, insecurity, and dissatisfaction with themself. Someone experiencing the disorder may ruminate, fear rejection, or perseverate on things they wish they never said (or should have said).
being exposed to long-term fear or distress as a child. being neglected by 1 or both parents. growing up with another family member who had a serious mental health condition, such as bipolar disorder or a drink or drug misuse problem.
People with borderline personality disorder may experience intense mood swings and feel uncertainty about how they see themselves. Their feelings for others can change quickly, and swing from extreme closeness to extreme dislike. These changing feelings can lead to unstable relationships and emotional pain.
If you're wondering, “can you have autism and BPD?” research shows that it's possible to experience both conditions. One study showed that 15% of patients with BPD also met the criteria for ASD. Living with these two complex conditions causes various difficulties that manifest differently from person to person.
Benzodiazepines — anti-anxiety drugs including Ativan and Klonopin — can make BPD symptoms worse in some people. Therefore, these drugs require close monitoring. In addition to being potentially habit-forming, this class of borderline personality disorder medication may increase impulsiveness and suicidal thinking.
Lithobid (lithium carbonate) is an anticonvulsant mood stabilizer that has been a mainstay of treatment for bipolar disorder for years.
Antipsychotic medications
Antipsychotics are widely used in BPD, as they are believed to be effective in improving impulsivity, aggression, anxiety and psychotic symptoms [Nose et al.
Conclusions: Parental externalizing psychopathology and father's BPD traits contribute genetic risk for offspring BPD traits, but mothers' BPD traits and parents' poor parenting constitute environmental risks for the development of these offspring traits.
Stressful or traumatic life events
Often having felt afraid, upset, unsupported or invalidated. Family difficulties or instability, such as living with a parent or carer who experienced an addiction. Sexual, physical or emotional abuse or neglect. Losing a parent.
Borderline personality disorder usually begins by early adulthood. The condition seems to be worse in young adulthood and may gradually get better with age.
If left untreated, the person suffering from BPD may find themselves involved with extravagant spending, substance abuse, binge eating, reckless driving, and indiscriminate sex, Hooper says. The reckless behavior is usually linked to the poor self-image many BPD patients struggle with.
For many folks with BPD, a “meltdown” will manifest as rage. For some, it might look like swinging from one intense emotion to another. For others, it might mean an instant drop into suicidal ideation. Whatever your experience is, you're not alone.
Intense episodic irritability or anxiety lasting a few hours or more than a few days). Recurring feelings of emptiness. Frequent intense, inappropriate anger or issues controlling temper. Severe dissociative symptoms or stress-related paranoia.
Intense outburst of anger. Repeated involvement in risky, impulsive behaviors. Lack of a stable or clear self-image. Intense, often unreasonable fear of being abandoned.