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Post by xxxxxxx on Aug 1, 2013 23:37:00 GMT
I thought I'd set up a thread for Borderline Personality Disorder (also more recently known as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder), I hope that's okay with everyone. What is BPD?Borderline Personality Disorder is an often misunderstood personality disorder; particularly marked by impulsive behaviour, mood instability, intense emotions and difficult interpersonal relationships. BPD also often co-exists with other mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and also substance abuse and self harm. What are the symptoms?Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder can include: - Emotional instability
- Impulsive behaviour
- Intense but unstable relationships with others
- Distorted and unstable self-image
- Self harm and possibly thoughts of suicide
- Chronic feelings of emptiness and/or boredom
What causes BPD?
Borderline Personality Disorder can be caused by a number of things - most experts agree that there is no single cause. It's likely that BPD is caused by a combination of factors, which include:
Genes that you inherit from your parents may make you more vulnerable to developing BPD
The 'messenger chemicals' in your brain that are used to transmit signals brain cells. Certain neurotransmitters can have a significant effect on moods and behaviour
The structure and function of your brain and nervous system - it appears that some people with BPD have a number of regions in the brain with abnormal structure and function
Events that have happened in your past, such as your relationship with your family, can play an important role in BPD
So, all of these things mixed together - the workings of your brain, and what you've been through in your life - can combine to form BPD.
How can it be treated?
Borderline Personality Disorder can be treated in a number of ways. It's really important to speak to your doctor about what's best for you. There are various medications that a doctor may prescribe, and also a number of talking therapies such as Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Mentalisation-Based Therapy (MBT), and Cognotive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). These are just some examples, and as I mentioned before, it's really important that you speak to your doctor about what would work best for you.
I would definitely recommend looking at the Mind page on Borderline Personality Disorder if you'd like any more information, or for a deeper understanding on how it works.
I hope this post explains BPD a little - and I'd like this thread to possibly become a hub for people with BPD to check in with each other, support each other and tell our stories.
EDIT: 17/09/13 - I'm now the Ambassador for BPD, so if you have any questions or would like to message me for any support, please feel free to do so.
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Ami
Junior Sharer
Posts: 74
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Post by Ami on Aug 2, 2013 20:24:47 GMT
Thanks Carla! This is written really well and it explains a very complicated disorder simply enough for anyone to understand c:
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Post by xxxxxxx on Aug 3, 2013 21:28:04 GMT
Thank you ^_^
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bexcelia
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“Give me therapy, I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smiling at everything.”
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Post by bexcelia on Aug 3, 2013 23:47:30 GMT
Thanks for this. I was only diagnosed as BPD last year and I'm still yet to get a grasp upon it. This is really well written and easy to understand. Love it!
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Post by xxxxxxx on Aug 4, 2013 0:47:46 GMT
I'd never heard of it until a mental health professional suggested I might have it, and gave me a leaflet to look at. When I looked at it, it was like finding the lost piece of a puzzle or something. It made so much sense. It's difficult to deal with sometimes but if you get the right support, it's definitely manageable.
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Post by Kimberley on Aug 4, 2013 10:30:19 GMT
Thanks for posting this, it was really interesting to read. How is a diagnosis made for BPD out of curiosity?
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matt
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Post by matt on Aug 8, 2013 10:55:00 GMT
This is probably the clearest and most concise description of BPD I have come across, so thank you for sharing. Does anyone have any experience of medication actually helping with their BPD? I ask because I have yet to find anything helpful despite trying numerous different meds over the years. So far I have tried: - Citalopram (3 years, negligible effect)
- Amitriptyline (3 months, heightened psychotic symptoms)
- Risperidone (6 months, couldn't function due to tiredness and excessive sleeping)
- Sertraline (to be fair I didn't take this long enough to judge it due to being in hospital)
- Fluoxetine (over a year now, negligible effect)
I have also undertaken CBT for around 6 months which I didn't find helpful really as they seemed intent on unearthing some kind of traumatic event as the cause of my issues, whereas no such thing occurred in my life. I've just always been this way. I acknowledge, and have no problem with, taking medication but I haven't yet found one that works, and I'm getting fed up with the constant response from GPs and Psychiatrists of just upping the dose or keep taking the current medication in the hope that it starts to work. I feel like they focus on medicating the symptoms of depression and psychosis instead of the underlying cause and would be interested to hear if anyone has any positive experiences of medication relating to their BPD so I can take some encouragement and keep positively seeking help through medication. At the moment I'm stuck in a frustrating limbo where I know, through experience, living without medication is difficult and sometimes dangerous, but I have yet to experience any positive effects despite trying for years.
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Post by xxxxxxx on Aug 9, 2013 20:17:33 GMT
Thanks for posting this, it was really interesting to read. How is a diagnosis made for BPD out of curiosity? I think if a GP or mental health professional decides that you have at least five symptoms (that's a rough idea, not fact), then you essentially have BPD. However, doctors don't like to diagnose people with it. On my records, I'm diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, but they refer to it as 'elements of' or 'symptoms of'. Matt - I'm glad that the description was helpful to you. Citalopram (40mg) definitely helps with my BPD, in the fact that it manages most of my symptoms. Mainly what I would call the integral symptom - the instability and intensity of my emotions. I'm having mixed feelings about Citalopram lately because I'm aware that it does numb my emotions to a degree, but it's a relief to not have everything so incredibly intensified. I've been on it for four or five years now. Prozac did nothing for me, Sertraline helped my anxiety but that was it and I moved onto Citalopram shortly afterwards. I did take an antipsychotic at one point, but actually forget what it was! I have also taken Diazepam now and again, but I'm abstaining from taking it now so that I don't rely on it. CBT never really helped me... however, I was part of a mindfulness/DBT group earlier this year and it did absolute wonders for me. I can't recommend it enough, especially to people suffering with BPD. The only reason I'm no longer in the group is because I'm now back into full time work. On a side note, I really wish weekend therapy existed!
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Post by Rebecca92 on Aug 23, 2013 12:26:52 GMT
Thank you so much for this Carla, I was diagnosed with BPD yesterday so I've been doing a lot of research on what it is. I can really get where you are coming about feeling like something "clicked into place".
I've been on three SSRIs though at that point I was diagnosed only with depression. However, I also have Bipolar 2 so I don't think that has helped with finding something that works.
Citalopram: I found that after an initial boost for a month or so this made me feel 'emotionally constipated', I felt like a zombie and all of my emotions were on a flat line. I was on this for about 6 months before it was changed to .. Sertraline/Zoloft: I was on this for a long time (aprox 2 years), for a lot of it on 150mg. I found that, like with Citalopram, I had an initial boost and became hypomanic. Looking back, I did have some periods of 'normality' while on this drug, unlike with any of the others, but I still had devastating lows and felt suicidal. Fluoextine/Prozac: I've been on this for 8 months now and it gave me the biggest and longest hypomanic episode I've had in my life. In regards to my BPD it's not helped at all and, if anything, my mood fluctuations have become more violent and unstable.
I've literally just started Quetiapine, which has been added in with an increase in Fluoextine.
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Post by sophiehp on Aug 26, 2013 15:44:56 GMT
This is a really great explanation of BPD. I was on Sertraline initially on 25mg but was only on it for 2 months and ended up in hospital so it obviously either made me worse or had no effect. I then went on quetiepine which worked but I hated the weight gain side effect. I am now on olanzapine which is amazing for me and has helped me so much after the last couple of months when I was truly at my worst. I'm coming off it bc of the weight gain. I am soon starting aripiprazole and am scared of starting that due to coming off olanzapine.
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crackthebubble
Newbie
There's a science to walking through windows...
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Post by crackthebubble on Sept 13, 2013 22:58:55 GMT
Hey, I've just been diagnosed with BPD. I'm on Quetiepine and I think in terms of my mood it it the best thing I've been on (and I've tried ALL anti depressants!) but I HATE the weight gain and it's causing me problems with my self esteem/ triggering eating disorders and OCD. I'm not psychotic but a taking it off licence as a mood stabiliser... Also, there are so many documentaries about MH issues but NONE about BPD - Any idea why?! xxx
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Post by xxxxxxx on Sept 14, 2013 23:48:57 GMT
Hey, I've just been diagnosed with BPD. I'm on Quetiepine and I think in terms of my mood it it the best thing I've been on (and I've tried ALL anti depressants!) but I HATE the weight gain and it's causing me problems with my self esteem/ triggering eating disorders and OCD. I'm not psychotic but a taking it off licence as a mood stabiliser... Also, there are so many documentaries about MH issues but NONE about BPD - Any idea why?! xxx YES. This is something I've noticed and I would love to see more awareness of it. I think because it's quite a complex disorder, and there are a lot of unfair judgements made about it by narrow minded/uninformed people. For example, I was quite overcome by things I found on the internet about BPD. A lot of words like 'manipulating', as well as pyschiatrists/doctors supposedly not liking to treat people with BPD. Personally, I've found that to be a load of bullpoop. I wouldn't say I'm manipulative, and my recovery has been incredibly effective so far. I think, considering the core elements of BPD (such as fear of abandonment and an unstable sense of self), more awareness would benefit those with the disorder. There needs to be more understanding. It's so scary to be told you have, or may have, BPD and then go look it up on the internet. Borderline Personality Disorder is hard, because often it comes about from deep rooted issues from the past. But it's doable. I've had a rough few years but it's made me who I am, and I'm proud of where I've got to now.
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matt
Newbie
Posts: 40
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Post by matt on Sept 16, 2013 13:10:15 GMT
I think there is currently a lack of common awareness of BPD compared to some of the more widely known mental health conditions. Due to the person displaying facets from more than one disorder, and then differing in number and severity between individuals, it seems a difficult condition to characterise which probably accounts for the current lack of public awareness. A lot of the information I have read on the internet regarding BPD has been a little disturbing and counter-productive, particularly, as Carla says, the regular mention of manipulative behaviour as a symptom. For me that has caused some anxiety and definitely has prevented me, at times, from reaching out as I've worried that I'm just being manipulative which has instead caused me to become more withdrawn and insular.
Good luck with everything and let us know what you find helpful.
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Post by xxxxxxx on Sept 17, 2013 17:50:36 GMT
I definitely agree with you, Matt. It's almost like a collection of sub-conditions, with a common theme of fear of abandonment and, often, low self esteem tying it all together. I think the key is management of those fears and day-to-day self care.
I completely understand what you say about becoming withdrawn, worrying about being labelled as manipulative. I've found that thankfully it seems limited to internet myth... everyone I've spoken to has been really understanding. Always remember that your emotions are real and you deserve to be listened to - you're not being manipulative unless you genuinely intend on being so.
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martinlom
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er...hum...hey...what?
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Post by martinlom on Sept 19, 2013 18:17:40 GMT
It's things like being labelled manipulative, narcissistic etc that have stopped looking deeper in to on the internet, because when I've found things like that and sometimes much worse I become quite paranoid and withdrawn because of it despite knowing that I'm nothing like what can be described as manipulative etc.
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