Although primarily a drug and alcohol addiction treatment center, at Emerge Healing Center we treat individuals often with a dual diagnosis. Due to the nature of addiction, individuals commonly have other untreated mental health disorders. These are also called co-occurring disorders.
Getting help for both at the same time can increase the chances of lasting recovery immensely. One such disorder we often see and treat is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
What is Borderline Personality Disorder?
The Mayo Clinic explains how BPD is a classified mental health disorder. At a glance, it often involves an individual with self-image problems, unstable relationship patterns, and a hard time managing behavior and emotions.
Usually, BPD appears in early adulthood. The National Alliance on Mental Illness says that an estimated 1.4% of adults in the United States experience BPD and almost 75% of those are women. However, it is believed that men experience BPD equally and are often mistreated for PTSD or depression.
The most common trait of BPD is difficulty managing emotion. This can lead to feeling emotions strongly and having a hard time calming down. It also often leads to hard relationships, a bad image of self, and struggling with self-regulation.
Symptoms of BPD
Due to BPD being a mental health disorder, there are specific symptoms listed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual when it comes to describing it. These include:
- Chronic feelings of boredom or emptiness.
- Dissociative feelings—disconnecting from your thoughts or sense of identity or “out of body” type of feelings—and stress-related paranoid thoughts. Severe cases of stress can also lead to brief psychotic episodes.
- Distorted and unstable self-image, which affects moods, values, opinions, goals, and relationships.
- Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment by friends and family.
- Impulsive behaviors with dangerous outcomes, such as excessive spending, unsafe sex, reckless driving, or misuse or overuse of substances.
- Inappropriate, intense, or uncontrollable anger—often followed by shame and guilt.
- Periods of intense depressed mood, irritability, or anxiety lasting a few hours to a few days.
- Self-harming behavior including suicidal threats or attempts.
- Unstable personal relationships that alternate between idealization (“I’m so in love!”) and devaluation (“I hate her”). This is also sometimes known as “splitting.”
Treating BPD
With a co-occurring disorder involving BPD, having an educated and qualified team to lead you or your loved ones’ treatment plan is essential. The right treatment plan can include several different types of options including medications if needed, psychotherapy, individual therapy, and other holistic methods.
Getting Help for Borderline Personality Disorder
If you or a loved one are struggling with BPD and/or substance addiction, Emerge Healing Center would love to help you experience what recovery can look like. Contact our skilled addiction and mental health professionals at Emerge Healing Center to learn more about our treatment and program options.
