BPD IS NOT

Borderline Personality Disorder: What BPD Is NOT

You’ve heard about BPD and are confused. What you’ve been told sounds disheartening, to say the least. The “horror stories” behind the diagnosis don’t make for light-hearted reading. What you’ve been told about Borderline Personality Disorder is probably not the full story.

BPD is such a confusing diagnosis.

What makes treating Borderline Personality Disorder so difficult is that there’s a lack of clear understanding, which leads to the HUGE STIGMA associated with the disorder.

BPD and Stigma

The stigma surrounding BPD, I believe, is fueled by the misunderstanding and myths that come along with the label. That’s why I think it’s important to help shed some light on this confusion and debunk the myths surrounding Borderline Personality Disorder.

Borderline Personality Disorder Myths

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Is NOT:

1. Psychosis- The name, Borderline Personality Disorder, is soooo misleading. Back in the day (in 1938 to be exact), a psychologist named, Adolf Stern, came up with the name, “borderline”, because he believed that the condition is on the “border” between neurosis and psychosis.

   >>> The TRUTH: The term, Borderline, later became a misnomer because BPD has little in common with most psychotic disorders. <<<

2. Bipolar Disorder- People often make the assumption that a person’s drastic mood changes are due to Bipolar Disorder. This is not correct.

   Bipolar mood fluctuations are due to sleep disturbance & high levels of energy; those “highs & lows” associated with Bipolar Disorder typically last for weeks to months.

   >>> The TRUTH: Drastic mood changes in BPD can typically be seen following some sort of relationship issue or incident. Those mood fluctuations can literally happen over someone’s lunch hour. <<<

3. Only About Self-Harm- Mental health professionals often immediately diagnose someone as “Borderline” when they hurt themselves on purpose (like cutting).

   >>> The TRUTH: Some Borderline individuals do engage in cutting (and other forms of self-harm). Self-harm behavior is also present in other diagnoses as well (like depression, PTSD, or other mood disorders). <<<

4. A Term For “Difficult” Clients- The label, “Borderline” will often be assigned to clients whose behavior is deemed “challenging” or “resistant”, etc. In essence, clinicians will often attach the label, “Borderline” to basically any client who they feel is extremely hard to deal with.

   >>> The TRUTH: What’s most likely happening, is that the BPD diagnosis seems to be reflecting the clinician’s personal frustration with challenging clients. <<<

5. Synonymous For “Manipulating & Attention-Seeking”- I know what you may be thinking— “But Sara, some Borderlines are manipulating and attention-seeking”.

   While a person’s behavior with BPD could very well be described in that way, it is exactly the opposite of how most Borderline individuals want to be viewed. Those with BPD desperately want to feel loved and cared for. They experience their emotions in huge ways. Their problems stem from not being able to manage those emotions in healthy, skillful ways. Their behavior that is seen as “manipulative and attention-seeking” is often the result of poor problem-solving skills.

   >>> The TRUTH: Despite the outward appearance, the last thing those with BPD want to do, is to push away the very people they are desperate to be in relationships with. They just don’t have the skills yet to keep those relationships in healthy and appropriate ways. <<<

6. Untreatable- Many clinicians are not willing to work with Borderline individuals and unfortunately there aren’t many mental health therapists who have the extensive training or experience to effectively treat Borderline individuals.

   >>> The TRUTH: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), created by Marsha Linehan, is an evidence-based treatment of choice & has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of BPD. <<<

7. A Doomed Life Sentence- There’s a belief that people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder are doomed to be “Borderline” for their entire lives.

   >>> The TRUTH: Research continues to support the use of DBT to treat BPD. People with BPD do get better and live a life worth living. <<<

Philadelphia DBT Therapy Available

As a Philadelphia DBT therapist, I specialize in helping people with Borderline Personality Disorder, anxiety therapy, and trauma counseling. My virtual private counseling practice provides counseling and therapy in Philadelphia, Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and York, PA. Give me a call today at 717-685-5074 or click here, to schedule your free, 15-minute, video consultation for Dialectical Behavior Therapy.