What is Borderline Personality Disorder? What are the Symptoms?
Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental health condition that makes emotional regulation difficult. Symptoms of “How does borderline personality disorder behave?” include intense emotional fluctuations, unstable relationships, self-harming tendencies and a constant feeling of emptiness.
What is Borderline Personality Disorder?
Borderline personality disorder is a mental disorder that prevents a person from managing their emotions. This can lead to increased impulsivity, fluctuating perceptions of self and others, and difficulties in relationships.
People with borderline personality disorder may experience intense emotional fluctuations, instability in self-image and intense but unstable relationships.
What are the Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder?
Borderline personality disorder can negatively affect a person’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors, causing problems in daily life.
Borderline personality disorder symptoms are usually as follows:
- Emotional Fluctuations People with borderline personality disorder experience intense and rapidly changing emotions. The transitions from happiness to anger, from sadness to anxiety are sudden and violent.
- Lying Borderline personality disorder can also be manifested by lying. They may lie from time to time due to impulsive behavior and instability in relationships. Lying, like other behaviors, can be linked to coping with intense emotional states or fear of abandonment.
- Unstable Relationships Borderline personality disorder can cause relationship problems. People with this problem may experience extreme emotions in their relationships with others. Borderline personality disorder in women and men can lead to excessive idealization or extreme devaluation behaviours.
- Identity Ambiguity: These people experience constant uncertainty about their identity and sense of self. For this reason, borderline can also be confused with multiple personality disorder. They are uncertain about who they are, what they want.
- Impulsive Behavior Borderline personality disorder can lead to impulsive and risky behaviors such as sexuality, shopping sprees, dangerous driving, overeating or substance abuse.
- Self-Harm: Self-harm behaviors (cutting, burning, etc.) and suicide attempts are common in severe borderline personality disorder. This is an attempt to alleviate intense emotional pain.
- Sense of Emptiness A constant and chronic feeling of emptiness is a common symptom of borderline personality disorder. People struggle to find meaning and purpose in life.
- Intense Anger Uncontrollable outbursts of anger and intense resentment are often disproportionate and out of control.
- Paranoia and Dissociation: When under stress, people with borderline personality disorder may develop paranoid thoughts or experience dissociation from reality (dissociation).
What Causes Borderline Personality Disorder?
Although the causes of borderline personality disorder are not fully known, it is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic, biological and environmental factors. Genetic predisposition, differences in brain structure and function, traumas especially in childhood (abuse, neglect, early losses) and family problems may play a role in the development of this disorder. In addition, emotional and physical abuse at an early age, unstable parent-child relationships and social environment may also be effective in the formation of this condition. The combination of these factors can negatively affect people’s emotional regulation and coping with stress.
Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment
To start treatment for borderline disorder, it is first necessary to see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist conducts a comprehensive assessment and determines the appropriate treatment options. This assessment includes a detailed discussion about the person’s symptoms and behavior. The specialist assesses the person’s emotional fluctuations, relationship problems and self-harming tendencies using the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder. The borderline personality disorder test can be used for assessment. Treatment usually involves psychotherapy. The most effective methods are dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Dialectical behavior therapy improves emotional regulation and healthy relationship skills. Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to change negative thought and behavior patterns. Medication can be used to manage accompanying symptoms such as depression or anxiety. Support groups and family therapy also contribute to the treatment of borderline personality disorder. Remote health services may come into play if the person is away from social environments due to discomfort, if it is not possible to reach the hospital or if their daily life is not suitable for hospitalization. Online psychiatrist consultations allow people to get professional support from wherever they are. These services are very useful in ensuring continuity of treatment and facilitating the treatment process.
How Do Borderline Attacks Happen?
Borderline episodes often manifest as sudden and intense emotional fluctuations. For “What happens if Borderline personality disorder is not treated?” these episodes can be triggered by stressful or traumatic events. During attacks, a person may experience extreme outbursts of anger, deep sadness, anxiety, panic and sometimes self-harm. Short-term paranoid thoughts or dissociation from reality may also occur. These symptoms can negatively affect daily functioning and relationships. If you are experiencing symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, you can get professional help about “What is Borderline Personality Disorder?” by contacting a psychiatrist.
