People living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) often experience rapid changes in mood. Some days, they are on top of the world and at times, they feel like they are drowning in extreme sadness or anxiety. Because of their varying moods, patients with BPD may have trouble focusing on school-related tasks, maintaining stable jobs, and building a healthy relationship. Oftentimes, they tend to develop major trust issues and chronic feelings of emptiness over time—regardless of how they are being treated by their loved ones. Given their impulsive and often self-destructive behaviors, helping someone with BPD requires not just an understanding of the situation, but also the right skills to empower them manage the condition.
The prevalence rate of Borderline Personality Disorder in the US
As time goes by, mental health is slowly becoming a less taboo topic—thanks, in part, to celebrities and influencers who ceaselessly encourage people to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. However, despite these efforts on raising awareness, majority good chunk of the general population is still scared to tackle these issues. For people with mental health illness, their everyday experience is often made worse by social discrimination and stigma attached to it. In the US, about 1.4% of adults are currently dealing with BPD while 75% of people diagnosed are women. Since symptoms of BPD and other personality disorders overlap significantly, some patients with serious mental illness are misdiagnosed, which leads to inaccurate treatment.
Debunking myths about borderline personality disorder
Aside from the lack of a diagnosis, patients worry about the misconceptions that other people have about BPD. Here are five things that people commonly misunderstand about this condition.
1. People with BPD should start giving up on life because there’s no cure to it
If you have BPD or you know someone living with such condition, know that there’s a specific treatment for it. One effective form of psychotherapy Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in Westport help patients regulate mood swings and improve relationships, through a comprehensive and individualized mental health approach. The thrust of DBT is to aid the patient to form new thought patterns to help them deal with one moment at a time, so that they can better handle stress, control their emotions, and relate better with others.
2. The major cause of BPD is childhood maltreatment
There are several studies claiming that BPD is associated with forms of child abuse—but the truth is, there could also be other reasons for the onset of the condition. Psychology and mental health studies show that, cites that the development of this condition is actually also a combination of biological and environmental factors.
3. Symptoms of BPD appear in adulthood
The first symptoms of BPD, actually, can often already be detected in adolescence. Many patients seek treatment at the age of 18, but symptoms usually first appear at the age of 12 and even earlier. But, the sooner one seeks help, the better. It is not easy to sift through what is considered part of normal behavior associated with pre-puberty and puberty, and what are signs of early onset BPD. A professional diagnosis is necessary, to that end.
If you (or someone you know) are showing symptoms of BPD, don’t lose hope—with the right help and timely intervention, you can learn to manage the condition and lead a fulfilled life.