For Individuals

Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex psychiatric condition marked by difficulty regulating emotions, impulsive behavior, unstable personal relationships, and struggles with self-image. People with BPD tend to experience intense and fluctuating emotions, feeling euphoric one moment and desperately empty the next. They often engage in self-harming behaviors like binge eating, alcohol abuse, risky sex, and drug addiction. Some people with BPD may sometimes self-harm by cutting themselves superficially. Suicidal thinking and attempts are not uncommon due to feeling hopeless during emotional lows. If you have thoughts or experiences with self-harm, or suicidal thoughts, a skilled therapist like those at Newark Behavioral Health can provide you with support and direction.

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Understanding and Treating Borderline Personality Disorder

BPD can make maintaining healthy relationships profoundly challenging. Those with BPD tend to view people as “all good” or “all bad” based on whether their emotional needs are currently being met. Their fearful attachment style and extreme sensitivity to perceived rejection can lead to dramatic conflict in personal relationships. Loved ones are often left feeling exhausted and burned out.  

  • While BPD presents formidable challenges, various therapies show promise in better managing symptoms. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) has become a leading treatment, using biofeedback, mindfulness techniques, distress tolerance skills and interpersonal effectiveness training. DBT aims to help people with BPD sit with painful emotions without reacting destructively. Relational therapies are also helpful for making sense of relationship patterns and bonding issues stemming from early childhood attachment wounds. 

    With professional support, the outlook for people with BPD can be hopeful. Many notice improvements in self-esteem, emotional resilience, relationship harmony and overall quality of life after committing to a long-term therapeutic process. A compassionate, judgment-free approach focused on building distress tolerance and communication skills can empower those with BPD to gain more control over their emotions and lives. If you would like to speak to a therapist about these issues, call us at Newark Behavioral Health. We can help.

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