What is borderline personality disorder?
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a developmental disorder that is characterised by intense emotional deregulations, impulsivity and unstable interpersonal relationships. Unfortunately, BPD can often be misdiagnosed. Some people with BPD are given the diagnosis of bipolar disorder when in BPD the mood changes are much more rapid as mood can fluctuate significantly often within the same day.
To be diagnosed with BPD the person must experience at least five of the following symptoms:
Fear of abandonment
Unstable or changing relationships
Unstable self image; struggles with identity or sense of self
Impulsive self-destructive behaviours (excessive spending, unsafe sex, substance misuse, binge eating and others)
Suicidal behaviour or self injury
Mood instability with varied mood swings
Feelings of emptiness
Difficulties with anger, including frequent loss of temper or physical fights
Stress related paranoia or dissociation
If you are worried that you are suffering from BPD, it is important that you have a specialist assessment to verify or exclude the diagnosis. There is often co-morbidity between BPD and other disorders such as depression, anxiety, substance misuse or eating disorders.
Treatment for BPD
BPD can be a serious condition and many people with the condition are at risk of attempting suicide at some point in their life. However, the outlook for BPD is positive over time, and specialist psychological therapy can be helpful.
There are several specialist psychological therapies that can be effective for treating BPD. Those are dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), family therapy and supportive therapy (ST).
At The Indira Mind Healing Centre, psychologists have specialist experience in the treatment of BPD.
Fees for Borderline Personality Disorder related counselling is 600/- per session.