How to Seek Effective Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder

When you do not know exactly where to turn for your mental health condition, it can be a scary and isolating experience. You know you need proper treatment, but getting there can be challenging. If you have never reached out to someone about your mental health condition, there are steps you can take to create a program that works well for you. Seeking proper treatment for borderline personality disorder, for example, can be intimidating at first. However, with a little help from a medical professional, you can be properly treated for this disorder.

Understanding your diagnosis is the first step in seeking treatment. This diagnosis should be from a psychiatrist or psychologist properly versed in various mental health conditions. They can provide you with the resources to reach out to mental health clinics, such as Alter Wellness Care. These resources can also provide you with programs and referrals to therapists that may be right for you.

What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental health disorder that impacts a person’s ability to control, regulate, and manage their emotions. The loss of emotional regulation can affect how you feel and how you relate to others. It can also affect how you feel about yourself and cause negative impacts on your relationships.

Symptoms of BPD

If you believe you may have BPD, you may realize that how you think and feel can go to extremes. You may also recognize these symptoms:

• A pattern of unstable relationships with friends and family
• Diving headfirst into a relationship and ending it just as quickly
• Avoiding real or perceived abandonment
• Distorted or unstable view about yourself and self-image
• Exhibiting reckless and impulsive behaviors, such as substance abuse, unsafe sex, reckless driving, spending sprees, and binge eating
• Self-harming behavior, such as cutting
• Threats or reoccurring thoughts of suicide
• Intense and highly variable moods lasting for a few hours to days
• Feelings of emptiness that become a chronic condition
• Problems controlling anger or anger so intense and inappropriate
• Dissociation or feeling cut off from yourself or observing yourself from outside the body
• Feelings of unreality

Though not everyone will experience all these symptoms, talk to your doctor about the symptoms you have experienced. The severity and frequency of your symptoms depend on the state of the condition. Some behaviors that occur during times of elevated mood or energy may be signs of bipolar disorder or another mental health disorder not associated with BPD.

Finding the Right Diagnosis for Borderline Personality Disorder

To be diagnosed with this BPD, you must first talk to a psychiatrist or psychologist. You can also reach out to a clinical social worker. They will ask you a series of questions that range from symptoms to family history of mental health disorders to your own medical history. They may even suggest seeing a doctor to rule out any physical symptoms.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), BPD usually co-occurs with other mental health disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or bipolar disorder. This makes diagnosing BPD challenging for doctors. 

Symptoms of one disorder may overlap the symptoms of BPD. However, a good psychiatrist will thoroughly review your symptoms with you to ensure that they give you an accurate diagnosis.

Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder

If you are experiencing or have been diagnosed with BPD, it is important to seek treatment right away. Waiting or delaying treatment can cause symptoms to worsen and keep you from living a healthier life. Getting on a treatment plan that works for you is the best thing you can do to manage your symptoms better.

Though BPD is a challenging mental health disorder to treat, treatment options are improving every year. It is vital that you receive treatment from a licensed and experienced mental health professional. If you do not stick with treatment, you run the risk of developing other chronic illnesses. If the treatment you receive is from an untrained therapist, it could be dangerous to your mental health.

#1. Medication

It is important to note that medication is not the first line of defense against BPD. However, it can offset some of the symptoms that co-occur from other mental health conditions you may be experiencing. By communicating with your psychiatrist, you can receive the proper medication that works for your symptoms.

#2. Psychotherapy

Talk therapy or psychotherapy is often the first type of treatment that will be recommended by your doctor or psychiatrist. Psychotherapy can often be an effective form of treatment because you can work one-on-one with a therapist who will teach you the necessary skills to cope with and manage your symptoms properly.

#3. Dialectical Behavior Therapy

A form of psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), has been shown to have immense benefits for those with BPD. In this form of treatment, you can learn how to control your emotions through mindfulness. You can also learn to overcome self-defeating habits and learn how to improve relationships through emotional regulation and other skills.

#4. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can also help with managing your symptoms. If you are experiencing multiple mental health conditions along with BPD, then CBT can help you manage the severity of your symptoms. In CBT, you will learn how to change your beliefs into positive thought patterns. This can help you control your emotions and reactions to everyday situations. This method is also effective for decreasing suicidal thoughts or ideation.

The bottom line for being treated for BPD is to get the help you need. Through clinics like Alter Wellness Care, you can learn how to get involved in outpatient or inpatient programs that can help you with your mental health. Always remember that there is help and hope.

If you feel you have nowhere to turn or would like to learn more about being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, talk to the team at Alter Wellness Care. We are here to provide you with the resources you need to plan an outpatient treatment program that works best for you. Our mission is to help adults live healthier and happier lives despite their mental health conditions. We have successfully treated those with mental health disorders through programs such as CBT and DBT. We can help and be there for you when you are ready to take the next steps forward to coping with and managing your symptoms better. Call our team at (866) 311-3510.