If you have received a recent diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, it may be that your first thought is what is that it doesn’t sound too bad as it is borderline.  Your second thought might be that there’s something wrong with who you are, your personality.  In fact, it would be more correct to say you relate to the world differently to how others expect you to and how they would relate to the world themselves.  BPD is often caused by multiple negative life experiences and how you have learnt to get the emotional support that you need from your environment. 

 

What you may notice is that you are having all sorts of difficulties with unstable, intense relationships with significant others, have difficulties getting others to understand the intensity of your distress or take you seriously about how much you are suffering.  Your desperation for them to understand leads you to do things that you normally wouldn’t do such as lash out at them or make threats, self harm or suicide to keep others close, knowing how they will react. 

 

Other symptoms can be a feeling of overwhelming emptiness and a fear of abandonment by those closest to you, rapid mood swings including how you feel about people changing from moment to moment, partaking in dangerous, compulsive, frivolous, or unhealthy lifestyle choices.  It may be that you have tried different approaches to lessen your emotional pain such as by partaking in drugs or alcohol or self injurious behaviour without any long term gain experienced. 

 

The good news it that your patterns of self-sabotaging behaviours can be changed.  Brenda has been trained in multiple techniques to assist with BPD including Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.  As most patterns of behaviour and thinking have been reinforced over a long period of time, it may be that you need longer term support to achieve your goal and receive some relief from these strong feelings. 

 

If you are suicidal, contact your GP, Emergency Department at the hospital or reach out for help at the following services:

 

Acute Care Team – Phone:  4433 3000

Lifeline – 131 114

Sane Australia – 1800 187263

Black Dog Institute – 02 9382 4523

 

Please see your GP in the first instance for a review of your mental health and potential diagnosis to assist treatment.