Thousands of years of human existence have gone by, but still, the most mysterious thing in the world is the human mind. It can create wonders yet can be very dangerous. The mind is capable of creating such serious illness that it affects a human for the rest of their lives.
One such illness is called borderline personality disorder. It is a type of mental illness that usually appears during childhood or even during early adulthood. It causes severe mood swings, where the control of your own emotions is difficult. If it goes unchecked, it can lead to suicidal tendencies and give birth to self-harm tendencies in the patient.
What Exactly Is Borderline Personality Disorder?
It is a serious type of mental illness. It often starts during early childhood but can appear later in life as well. People suffering from BPD show signs of extreme levels of emotion. They are unable to have a grip on their emotions, daily behaviour, and even maintain any relationship.
Chronic pain in the abdomen, sudden outbursts of anger, irrational fear, and a feeling of helplessness are some of the signs of BPD.
What Can I Do?
If you have a loved one showing these signs in their behaviour, learn to understand that without raising any alarm, the best thing to do is to consult a neurologist for more clarity. You may feel overwhelmed and helpless due to these symptoms but trust that you have to keep your calm and patience.
You have to know how much pain you are feeling seeing your loved one suffering; he or she is suffering even more. All those destructive and impulsive reactions that are projected out are the cause of deep-seated emotional damage. So understand that when they are saying something painful or hurtful to you, it’s not about you; it is indirectly projected towards you. Those words or actions are hardly intentional.
How Do I Deal With It?
The first step in dealing with BPD is to notice and recognize the signs; it is not always easy to do that. BPD is usually misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, anxiety, or even an eating disorder. A proper diagnosis is very important before starting treatment. Because treatments are different for different mental illnesses.
BPD has a high rate of causing triggers to the patients, People suffering usually have a volatile level of sensitivity, and they can get triggered by the smallest of things. And once triggered by such emotional pain, they tend to say or do things that are hurtful and dangerous. And when this happens, calming them becomes very difficult.
The foremost thing for you to do is to take care of yourself first. Being caught up with someone dealing with BPD can be very challenging for you as well. Trying to take care of your loved one with BPD can cause immense stress to you also. Taking care of your own emotional and physical needs is equally important in such cases. If you get caught in that, it can lead to anxiety, depression, and burnout in you as well. So taking care of your mental health should also be a priority for you as well.
It is important to communicate well with a person dealing with a personality disorder. If you are in a relationship with someone like that, it is very challenging. It is often like dealing with a child and also a stubborn one.
The fear of abandonment is quite high in people dealing with BPD, which is why they get irrational, stubborn, angry, or cruel when faced with even a small sign of abandonment.
So while communicating, it is important to communicate actively and with the utmost sympathy in your mannerism. Try to make the other person feel like they are important and are being heard. And try to focus on their emotions and not the actual words.
Conclusion
A borderline personality disorder is something that can be treated. People have ked a fulfilling life after being treated properly with care. Treatments like psychotherapy and medications, or maybe both, are useful in cases like these. Therapy sessions in dialectic behaviour or cognitive behaviour might be needed if such is the case. But the most important treatment is the love and care from the loved ones.
Author Bio:
Emily Bryant is a professional content writer. She completed her graduation in Psychology from the University of Montreal, Canada. She is very passionate about writing in many journals and magazines. She is the owner and co-founder of Tour And Travel. She is also associated with many authority blog sites such as Finance Team, SB Newsroom, Dream Land Estate, Emblem Wealth, and Dream And Travel.
