Borderline Personality Disorder Analysis

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Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can be characterized by a significant amount of emotional instability and is often recognized as one of the most severe behavioral disorders (Valentiner, Hiraoka, & Skowronski, 2014). Individuals with BPD often experience intense feelings of emptiness, unstable interpersonal relationships, affective instability, and impulsive behaviors starting in early adulthood or adolescence (Biskin, 2015). BPD is a serious mental health disorder as its significant impairment is also associated with an elevated risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (Whalen, Kiel, Tull, Latzman & Gratz, 2015). It is critical to recognize the symptoms of BPD and implement effective intervention techniques in order to treat individuals …show more content…

A diagnosis of this particular personality disorder is indicated by five or more of the following symptoms: efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, unstable interpersonal relationships, identity disturbance, impulsivity that may be self-damaging, suicidal or self-harm ideations and/or behaviors, instability in mood, chronic feelings of emptiness, anger and/or difficulty controlling anger, and stress-related paranoid ideation or dissociative symptoms (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). As individuals with BPD attempt to avoid abandonment, they become very sensitive to their environment and the people around them. Such fear often results in these individuals having the desire to constantly be around others and also influences a pattern of unstable relationships and behaviors. Individuals with BPD have fluctuating emotions and their views of others dramatically shift in ways that may increase rejection or abandonment; such individuals are difficult to develop trusting, stable relationships with and are difficult to work with. Therefore, BPD has devastating effects for both the individuals diagnosed with the disorder, as well as for their families and those around …show more content…

For those who do seek treatment, a positive therapeutic alliance is essential for treatment to be effective (McMain, Boritz, & Leybman, 2015). McMain, Boritz and Leybman (2015) highlighted five strategies for clinicians working with BPD clients in order to promote a positive therapeutic relationship: emotional awareness, structured treatment, responsiveness, supervision and involvement, and exploring the focus of treatment. BPD clients often find any relationship difficult to maintain and their sensitivity can be critical to whether or not they complete treatment. A strong therapeutic relationship has been associated with positive treatment results (McMain et al., 2015). Therefore, it is important for clinicians to acknowledge the vulnerabilities of BPD clients while also monitoring their own reactions during

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