Jamie Gilmore, an individual with borderline personality disorder (BPD), describes on the NAMI site their experience and treatment of BPD as nonlinear and marked by ups and downs. Even after receiving a diagnosis and implementing treatment methods, Jamie still lives with crushing emotions and setbacks.
The toughest part about BPD seems to be the intensity of the emotions it generates. Jamie prompts readers to think of the most intense, deepest feeling they’ve ever experienced: hate, love, envy, rejection. For Jamie, this intensity is normal. They feel every emotion to that degree on a daily basis. It’s this type of intensity that drives people with BPD to lose control of themselves and surrender to the range of destructive and abrupt symptoms that are so characteristic of the disorder.
The goal of treatment for BPD is to equip people with tools that will help them manage big emotions without losing control of their lives and relationships. Even so, people with BPD will naturally have good days and bad days all their lives: just like everyone else.
Treating Borderline Personality Disorder in Wisconsin
Miramont Behavioral treats BPD while supporting both the individual who suffers from the disorder and their loved ones at our Waukesha and Middleton, WI centers. BPD is both a mental health condition and a personality disorder. If you have BPD, you probably struggle from the following mild to severe symptoms:
- Stark, excessive mood swings
- Relationship instability
- Inability to control emotions or express them in healthy, constructive ways
- A higher probability of suicide
- Greater inclinations toward self-destructive actions and behavior
If you suspect that you or a loved one has BPD, the process for diagnosing it involves several steps.
Firstly, your doctor or mental healthcare provider will conduct a detailed interview with you. This can involve or lead to a mental health evaluation made up of multiple questions that you should respond honestly to.
After the evaluation, a medical exam will be conducted to rule out any other underlying causes for your symptoms. Then, your symptoms will be discussed with you and a diagnosis may or may not be given.
BPD Treatment Options With Miramont
There are three general paths to treating BPD: talk therapy, medication, and personal well-being (including fitness, nutrition, and personal safety). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DT), and group therapy are all viable options to begin talk therapy.
Medications that help combat anxiety and depression symptoms and mood swings can be helpful for patients. In some cases, antipsychotic medications can help with BPD.
Talk therapy, however, is probably the most effective and popular treatment route because it dives into any childhood trauma that may have caused the disorder as well as as root belief systems that may be worsening the most painful symptoms of BPD. These symptoms include:
- An intense and ever-present fear of abandonment
- Inability to maintain a stable image or sense of self
- Dangerous, impulsive, or unpredictable behaviors
- Repetitive feelings of emptiness and/or attempts to commit suicide or self-harm
- Inability to control anger
- Temporary paranoid thoughts
Typically, when someone with undiagnosed BPD feels really stuck, they seek help and receive a diagnosis. Later, with talk therapy, they find their experience begins to improve. People with BPD feel hopeful when they’re actively participating in treatment and experience better relationship dynamics. However, not every day can be an easy one, and it’s an ongoing process of managing symptoms as they occur.
An excellent way to remember the good days and use them as fuel to get through the bad days is journaling in BPD recovery. Journals offer a constructive form of self-reflection; they’re a safe space to communicate the things that could wreck progress in your relationships and express how great your ups are and how devastating your downs can be. Journaling can also highlight certain triggers or obstacles that can be avoided or overcome in recovery for the disorder down the road.
Find Support For BPD in Waukesha and Middleton
We know that BPD can take a huge toll on your family dynamic and most meaningful relationships. That’s why we’re here to offer our mental health services and support. We’re not here to judge; we’re here to help you have the most rewarding experiences in life despite your BPD diagnosis. Contact us today to learn more!
