To focus on BPD trains us for multiple mental health diagnoses. In order to help those around us, we need to have a clue about how they function from the snide out. The following will shed some light on what surrounds us.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) also known as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) is one characterized by severe mood swings, impulsive behavior and difficulty forming stale personal relationships. To chart out the differences:
| BPD is a personality disorder | Bi-Polar is a mood disorder |
|---|---|
| BPD surfaces @ late adolescence | Bi-Polar is a permanent condition |
| BPD burns out (you grow out of it). | Bi-polar surfaces as a teen or mid-life with body chemistry changes) |
It’s very rare that an individual has one diagnosed ailment. Co-occurring with BPD is often eating disorders, anxiety, depression or the combination of the two as Bipolar Affective Disorder (formerly known as Manic Depressive Illness).
When BPD is successfully treated other diagnoses improve. The reverse or opposite is true for Anxiety, Depression or Bipolar cases. Once those are under control, BPD still needs a good dose of attention.
Characteristics of BPD are as follows:
1. Fear of abandonment
2. Shifting self image
3. Impulsive self sabotage
4. Chronic emptiness
5. Explosive anger
6. Constantly suspicious
7. Rapid goal switch outs
8. Engaging in risky behaviors
9. Self destructive behaviors
10. Inability to maintain relationships
The bearer of these conditions has a body chemistry that swings back and forth meaning they come and go from abilities and are often confused about why they act the way they do. Can’t & Won’t switch places… age tween surfaces one day and age adult another. The observant “in-tune” family members learn to just switch hats to interact. (You don’t treat an adult the same way as a child or a child the same as a teenager. You have three sets of understandings to interact with). Society on the other hand, ie a store clerk, public transportation personnel, the summer concert ticket booth etc. has a hard time comprehending to do that. The bearer doens’t have a reader board imbedded into their T-shirt that explains which mode their internal system switched to.
Understanding this phenomenon makes us more able to interact publicly with special needs mental health.