Personality disorders are mental health condition that begins in adolescence or early adulthood. If personality disorders are not cured they can cause intense distress in individuals suffering from personality disorders. borderline personality disorder is known as a serious personality disorder. (BPD) is characterized by erratic moods, emotions, unhealthy relationships, and maladaptive behavior. A person with BPD can behave impulsively, engage in dangerous behaviors. It changes their moods quickly, grow increasingly irritated, look numb. Its also develop paranoia during an episode that starts during the late teen or early 20s.
In people with borderline personality disorder, there is no balance of emotions, everything is either black or white for them. In the sense that, they will either really like a person or hate them. It is also prevalent that they can quickly change their perception of people. They may suddenly start hating someone they like or starting liking someone they hate. In simple terms, they go from hot to cold and vice Verda very quickly which makes them very unpredictable. They also have a serious fear of abandonment and problems with their self-image.
the history of borderline personality can trace back to 1938. When the term ‘borderline’ was first introduced by American psychoanalyst Adolph Stern. While treating a bunch of patients, there was a group of patients. That he could not categorize into either psychosis or neurosis.
conventional methods of therapy could not cured this group of patients. Since patients with neurosis were believed to be treatable and patients with psychosis were believed to be untreatable. The term borderline was used to describe patients who portrayed a kind of ‘borderline schizophrenia’.
A profound understanding of borderline personality disorder began to develop in the 1970s. Otto Kernberg, an Australian-born, American psychoanalyst, used the term ‘borderline’ to describe a personality organization between psychosis and neurosis. Kernberg is famous for his psychoanalytical theories on borderline personality organization. He described those with borderline personality organization as having primitive psychological defenses that are defense mechanisms to prevent anxiety.
Few examples of such defense mechanisms include splitting which is assigning ‘good’ or ‘bad’ qualities to everything and projection which is projecting one’s negative qualities onto another person. This personality organization was marked by instability and problems with one’s identity. Some of the symptoms that characterized borderline personality disorder are unstable self-image. Its fluctuating mood, fear of abandonment, self-harm as well as suicide ideation.
Kernberg formulated an in-depth form of psychoanalytic psychotherapy called ‘Transference focused psychotherapy’ (TFP) for borderline personality organisation patients (BPO).
Transference-focused psychotherapy consists of two to three sessions for 45 to 50 minutes per week. It focuses on the individual as having unresolved as well as contrasting internalized representations of self and close people that are effectively charged.
The defense against these contrasting internalized object relations is known as identity diffusion. It leads to disrupted connections with others and the self. Therefore, these distorted perceptions of self, as well as related effects while they surface in the relationship with the therapist (transference) are the focus of treatment. The mechanism of change includes constant interpretation of these distorted perceptions.
Transference-focused psychotherapy :
The process known as transference occurs when a person puts their emotions or expectations onto another person, typically their therapist. This frequently occurs unintentionally and may go unnoticed unless it impedes the course of therapy. TFP, on the other hand, employs transference to dismantle harmful behavioural patterns by presuming. it is a typical or expected aspect of psychotherapy.
The goal of transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) is to assist clients in acquiring a positive sense of themselves and more productive behaviours. Instead of concentrating solely on situations that occur outside of treatment, TFP assists in identifying harmful patterns of interaction or self-destructive thoughts as they emerge within a therapy session.
For instance, a transference-focused therapist can verbally name or urge the client to name instances of their behaviour that are occurring right away during a treatment session. Both the therapist and the client can more easily identify and create constructive alternatives to damaging or possibly unhealthy behaviour by bringing those negative interactions to light when they arise.
Transference-focused psychotherapy is very effective in resolving issues that occur from borderline personality disorders. Transference focused psychotherapy can resolve some issues, including reducing impulsivity, irritability, anger, suicide ideation, and self-harm. It improves emotion regulation as well as social interactions by lowering anxiety, and depressive symptoms.
Along with the painful symptoms of borderline personality disorder, there can also coexist other mental health such as anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. Since borderline personality disorder consists of impulsivity, those suffering from it can take extreme decisions in the heat of the moment.
Researchers are not completely aware of the causes of borderline personality disorder. However, environmental factors play a major role in shaping the personality of the individual. A history of abuse, neglect, and dominance could result in an adult with borderline personality disorder. Along with there environmental factors, other factors could include genetics which means that it could be inherited.
Brain abnormalities could also be a cause of borderline personality disorder.
Research predicted that changes in particular areas of the brain responsible for emotion regulation, impulsivity and aggression can cause borderline personality disorder. If certain brain chemicals like serotonin that help regulate mood do not function properly that can also be a cause.
A borderline personality disorder is a lethal mental health condition that can leave a person socially impaired. It can lead a person to repeatedly change jobs and not complete their education. They can also face multiple legal issue along with jail time due to their impulsivity and aggression. Since they constantly go from hot to cold and vice versa in relationships they have a lot of conflict-filled relations, marital status or even divorce. Due to their impulsive nature and seeing everything as either good or bad, they seem to perceive everything in extreme. This thought process can lead to self-harm with frequent hospitalization.
Leave feedback about this