Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment

Managing borderline personality disorder (or BPD) can feel hopeless at the best of times. If you’ve come here searching for hope, our borderline personality disorder treatment center in Florida can help you with this commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed disorder.

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What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?

BPD consists of a complex tangle of intense emotions, dissociation, low self-esteem, and impulsive actions. This disorder impacts everything from the way a person thinks and feels about themselves to how they interact with others.

They frequently struggle with a deep fear of abandonment, often going to great lengths to avoid real or imagined separation or rejection, which affects their long-term relationships.

Due to the complexity and variety of symptoms, BPD is commonly confused with other psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder. The pervasive misunderstanding surrounding this disorder’s symptoms means a nuanced and compassionate approach is a must.

However, you’ve already made the first step in managing your condition by reaching out to us. We offer an insurance-based model for patients that will help carve a pathway toward a life that’s more stable, peaceful, and fulfilling. We can work with clients in person in Miami or use telehealth to help those in other areas.

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Common Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

Here are the most common signs of borderline personality disorder. If any of these symptoms feel familiar, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Fear of abandonment

People with BPD are often terrified of being abandoned or left alone. Even something as harmless as a loved one arriving home late from work can trigger intense fear. This fear can lead to frantic efforts to keep the other person close.

Unstable relationships

People with BPD tend to have intense, short-lived relationships (both romantic and platonic). They may believe that each new person they meet is "the one" and quickly become disappointed.

Unclear or shifting self-image

A person with BPD may have a significantly unstable sense of self. They can change from hating themselves to thinking they are okay. They may also lack a clear direction in life, frequently changing jobs, friends, lovers, religion, values, goals, or sexual identity.

Impulsive, self-destructive behaviors

Impulsivity is a common symptom, manifesting in potentially damaging habits, such as binge eating, drug or alcohol abuse, reckless driving, and risky sex.

Self-harm and suicidal behavior

Self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal behaviors are common among people with BPD. These can include cutting, burning, or other forms of self-injury.

Extreme emotional swings

Emotional shifts in BPD can cause intense mood swings over a few hours or days. While everyone experiences mood changes, for people with BPD, these swings are more severe and can happen more frequently.

Chronic feelings of emptiness

People with BPD often talk about feeling empty, as if there's a hole or a void inside them. They may try to fill the void with things like drugs, food, or sex.

Explosive anger

They may struggle with intense anger and a short temper. Even minor issues can provoke anger. They might also struggle with controlling themselves once they've become upset.

Feeling suspicious or out of touch with reality

Paranoia and dissociation may occur in people with BPD, especially under stress. They may feel suspicious of others' motives or feel as if they are losing touch with reality.

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What Are the Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder?

The exact cause of BPD is not known, but it is believed to be the result of a combination of genetic, environmental, and social factors. This knowledge will not only help you understand yourself on a deeper level but also ensure you receive the help you need.

Genetic factors

Research suggests that BPD may have a genetic component.

Brain structure and function

Studies have shown changes in brain areas involved in emotion regulation, impulse control, and aggression.

Environmental factors

Many people with BPD have a history of exposure to stressful or traumatic life events, especially during childhood. These can include physical or sexual abuse, neglect, early parental loss, and emotional abuse.

Social factors

Factors such as family environment, social influences, and early relationships can play a role in the development of BPD. For example, growing up in an environment where emotions were ignored or punished can contribute to difficulty in understanding and regulating emotions.

Neurobiological factors

Research shows that those with BPD may have an underlying neurobiological vulnerability, making them more susceptible to emotional dysregulation and impulsive behaviors. This vulnerability, combined with environmental stresses, may trigger the development of BPD.

It's important to note that not everyone with these risk factors will develop BPD. Similarly, not all with BPD have these specific backgrounds.

How We Diagnose Our Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder

Diagnosing BPD involves a thorough assessment by a mental health professional, using clinical interviews and evaluating symptoms against the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria. The process includes:

Clinical interviews: Discussing mental health history, current symptoms, and behavior patterns.
Diagnostic criteria: Checking for at least five out of nine specific symptoms outlined in the DSM-5, such as relationship instability, identity disturbance, impulsivity, and emotional instability.
Differential diagnosis: Ruling out other mental health conditions that could explain the symptoms.
Psychological testing: Conducting personality interviews to gather more information.
Medical evaluation: Excluding physical health issues that might mimic psychiatric symptoms.

Our goal for you is to accurately identify your BPD symptoms while differentiating them from other disorders, getting you closer to an effective and appropriate treatment plan.

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Our Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment Methods

No two journeys are the same. We specialize in customizing our BPD treatment plans to your unique needs. We offer in-depth talk therapy alongside medication to target specific symptoms or co-occurring disorders.

The goals of treatment are to help patients understand and manage their emotions, reduce impulsive behaviors, and set a foundation for stable and loving relationships.

Talk Therapy to Connect with Yourself and Others

Talk therapy is the cornerstone of treating BPD. Our borderline disorder treatment center in Florida offers several forms of talk therapy to meet patients’ needs.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

DBT is specifically designed for BPD. It combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness practices to teach patients coping skills, reduce self-destructive behaviors, and improve their relationships.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT helps patients identify and change core beliefs and behaviors that underlie inaccurate perceptions of themselves and others. It helps reduce symptoms like mood swings or self-harming behaviors.

Schema-focused therapy

This approach combines elements of CBT with other forms of talk therapy, focusing on identifying and changing abnormal thought patterns.

Mentalization-based therapy (MBT)

MBT helps people better understand their own and others' mental states, which can influence emotions and actions. It's particularly useful for improving relationships and emotional regulation.

Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP)

TFP focuses on the relationship between the patient and therapist, using the dynamic in this relationship to understand and address problematic patterns in the patient's relationships outside of therapy.

Medications to Reduce Emotional and Psychological Instability

While there are no medications specifically approved to treat BPD, we may prescribe medications to address specific symptoms or co-occurring disorders, such as mood swings, depression, or anxiety:

Antidepressants
Mood stabilizers
Antipsychotics

Supportive Care to Help You Through Your Journey

Support groups, education about the disorder, and family therapy can also help people and their loved ones understand BPD and develop coping strategies. We help people find support groups to foster a close-knit community and belonging for individuals affected by BPD.

These groups celebrate personal insights and teach coping mechanisms under the guidance of our experienced mental health professionals.

Lifestyle and Self-Care to Nurture Your Growth

During your treatment regimen, you’ll learn powerful daily habits that manage symptoms and provide stability during difficult periods. Regular physical activity, sleep, nutritious foods, and stress-reduction techniques like mindfulness are wonderful tools for BPD symptom management.

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Go from Surviving to Thriving with Professional Help

Painful symptoms and a personal history filled with setbacks make BPD feel impossible to manage. We’re here to tell you that a more stable emotional baseline, close-knit relationships, and a future you hope for are very real possibilities.

When you work with us, you’ll receive the customized treatment plan and passionate support network you need to set the stage for a happier, healthier tomorrow.

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