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Help for People with Borderline Personality Disorder

Although Borderline Personality Disorder patients have traditionally been known as some of the most challenging and difficult patients to treat, help for people with Borderline Personality Disorder is still available. Help consists of psychotherapy, medication and, when necessary, hospitalization. Self-help should be an integral part of treatment as well.

• Psychotherapy:
Unfortunately, many mental health professionals are turned-off by working with people who have Borderline Personality Disorder because, for one thing, it causes many negative feelings for the therapist, which occur because of the client's constant demands on them, seemingly constant self-injurious behaviors, and (too often) suicidal thoughts, gestures, and possibility of suicide. These are sometimes very difficult things for a therapist to understand and work with.

Still, as with all personality disorders, psychotherapy is the treatment of choice in helping people with Borderline Personality Disorder. While medications can usually help some symptoms of the disorder, they cannot help the person to learn new coping skills, emotion regulation, ways of improving their interpersonal relationships, or any of the other important changes they need to make in their life.

The most successful and effective psychotherapeutic approach to date has been Marsha Linehan's Dialectical Behavior Therapy. This type of therapy seeks to teach the client how to learn to better take control of their lives, their emotions, and themselves through self-knowledge, emotion regulation, and cognitive restructuring. It is a comprehensive approach that is most often conducted within a group setting.

• Medication:
There is no one medication specifically prescribed to treat people with Borderline Personality Disorder. However, some medications may be helpful to alleviate some of the symptoms (depression, anxiety, mood swings, etc.) associated with the disorder. These medications consist of Antidepressants, Anti-anxiety drugs, and Mood Stabilizers.

• Hospitalization:
An initially important aspect of psychotherapy is usually contracting with the person to ensure that they do not commit suicide; however, if suicidal feelings are severe, hospitalization should be seriously considered. Inpatient treatment often takes the form of medication in conjunction with psychotherapy sessions in groups or individually. This is an appropriate treatment option if the person is experiencing extreme difficulties in living and daily functioning. The typical inpatient stay for someone with Borderline Personality Disorder in the U.S. is about three to four weeks, depending upon the person's insurance. Unfortunately, since this treatment is so expensive, it is getting more difficult to obtain. Hospitalization can only be a temporary help to the person with Borderline Personality Disorder; usually only used in a crisis situation.

• Self-Help:
The medical profession often overlooks self-help methods for the treatment of people with Borderline Personality Disorder, because very few professionals are involved in them. However, self-help is as integral a part of help for a person with the disorder as the other forms of treatment. In fact, Dialectical Behavior Therapy uses homework as part of the therapy. Joining a support group for people with Borderline Personality Disorder will help a great deal. Other forms of self-help include educating yourself about the disorder; keeping a journal; taking care of yourself physically (proper diet and exercise), mentally, and emotionally; practicing relaxation techniques to reduce stress; etc.

About the Author

David Oliver is the founder of BorderlineCentral.com a one stop source of information on how to cope and deal with borderline personality disorder.

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