Borderline Personality Disorder and Dialectal Behavioral Therapy

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Characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder

Most times, patients diagnosed with BPD are often in an abandonment state that is engaged, and real situations are avoided. They tend to be extremely sensitive and are affected by their environment. In turn, they manifest changes in their behavior, cognition, affection as well as self image. Fear of being abandoned is intensely experienced, and other times they can become excessively angry. Simple issues can make them hysterical and as well as be in a state of despair. For example if a friend appears late for a coffee date, the person with BPD becomes hysterical and furious as well as hysterical. According to them, being alone is a serious issue and they try and find extreme ways of dealing with it. Some of the impulse actions which they undertake include suicide attempts and self mutilation (Grohol, 2007).

Their relationships tend to be intense and unstable. A lot of attention is given to their lovers and caregivers as well as people who they deem to love. In the start of a relationship, intimate information is shared by them and later loses interest in their relationships. They only invest in relationships that will benefit them in return. How they view others is affected by dramatic and sudden shifts. The latter are followed by disillusionment whereby, they expect to be abandoned and rejected by the people they have idealized (Grohol, 2007).

Furthermore, individuals with BPD are disturbed by their identity whereby, they suffer from self image issues. Often they have vocational aspirations, values and goals that are not stable. This is because they are unsure about what they want in their lives. They tend to change their friends, values, sexual identities and even their careers. Other times some people with the disorder believe that they are nonexistent. The latter occurs when they lack support, nurturing, and relationship that are meaningful. Such characteristics are manifested when they are in an environment such as school or work (Grohol, 2007).

Lastly, individuals with BPD are extremely impulsive, and the result is self damaging. Most times this is characterized in at least two areas, in their lives. They can be impulsive in behaviors such as reckless driving, abusing substances and gambling among others. According to research, individuals with BPD have an eight to ten percent chance of committing suicide. Others have been known to engage in acts of self mutilation (Grohol, 2007).

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Treatment Approach

Clinical approaches for treating BPD are being researched upon constantly so that they can be sued by social workers. The population of mentally ill people in the United States is increasing drastically, and a solution needs to be found. Marcia Linehan developed The Dialectical Behavior Approach. In order to treat BPD, it makes use of two techniques these are behavioral and cognitive. Patients have to undergo consultations with therapists in order for the approach to be effective (Osada, 2011).

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder provide the criteria used in treating BPD. Patients are often treated for symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, anger and depression. Before, it was difficult treating individuals who have BPD as they were not responding to treatment. The result is that both the client and the therapist became unsatisfied in their quest. DBT is praised as it successfully treats BPD through incorporating training that is psychosocial and through psychotherapy. Individuals who have BPD are known to benefit from DBT, and this fact is proven by clinical trials that were conducted.

Some time back, DBT was a behavioral therapy that was standard and used in the treatment of BPD. It is through data collection and assessment that behaviors of people with BPD are known. This means that the client and the therapist must work in harmony to achieve desirable results. DBT seeks to patients suffering from BPD are made aware of reality as well as fostering the process of change gradually. This means that the therapist must ensure that they have to decline indisputable fact and the absolute truth. DBT assumes a view that is dialectical whereby; failure is the reason why patients have BPD (Osada, 2011). Some examples of failures that are known to be dialectic include; emotion, behavior and extreme thinking. This is the reason why people who have BPD often do not find solutions to their problem. They are in extremes known to be polarized and thus why they have those symptoms. It has been proven that DBT is an effective treatment of BPD. Furthermore, consistency and structure must be maintained so that the symptom of BPD is reduced.

During DBT treatment, therapist consultation, individual treatment, telephone contact and group skills training are used. The client must be willing to corporate as the treatment is voluntary. Clients are informed about all the details, which pertain to the treatment, and they have to make a decision. Issues that might interfere with treatment such suicide attempts are reduced, so as not to affect treatment quality. It is easy, for patients undergoing this treatment to experience life like normal people. They learn how to acquire skills that behavioral, as well as adaptive. Therapists also benefit from this treatment therapy as they avoid burning out and discouragement. Furthermore, the client and the therapist have meaningful and beneficial relationship (Osada, 2011).

References

Grohol, J. (2007). Characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder. Psych Central. Retrieved on November 20, 2011, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/characteristics-of-borderline-personality-disorder/

Osada, Mikaka. (2011). Borderline Personality Disorder. Retrieved from http://www.borderlinepersonality.ca/dbttreatBPD.htm