Could you have borderline personality disorder?

BORDERLINE bipolar disorder is a complex and often undiagnosed mental health condition marked by long-term unhealthy sporadic thoughts and actions. Clinical psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell says that the condition, which is often confused with bipolar disorder, is generally seen in people who have suffered a traumatic childhood experience, although there is no proof these events offset the condition. Experts, she shares, also believe that many people suffering from the condition are genetically predisposed or may have had structural or functional changes in the brain.“People suffering from borderline bipolar disorder generally present with similar symptoms such as impaired reasoning, instability in relationships, increased desire to self-harm, and impaired emotional control, and so we realise that they don’t cope well with stressful or otherwise traumatic or upsetting situations. In fact, they tend to harm or threaten to harm themselves,” Dr Bell explained.These symptoms, she pointed out, can be further broken down to include more relatable actions. Among these are:•Impaired reasoning — an inability to make rational decisions, they spend or drive recklessly, engaging in high- risk/unprotected sexual activities, they lose confidence in self and develop a poor sense of their identity.• Instability in relationships — they tend to get angry easily, generally tend to accuse people of being out to get them if they don’t agree with them, even if those people are merely trying to assist. Their response to less than ideal situations in relationships is to become depressed; they undervalue the people who love them because they can’t always trust what they do, and often live in a world of constant fear that these people will abandon them. They also tend to misinterpret things and feelings, and lack the ability to reason or act with rationality in the face of stress.•Impaired emotional control — perhaps one of the most common features of this condition is that the individuals generally have a problem managing their feelings and controlling their thoughts. They tend to be sad, anxious, feel worthless and depressed, empty or paranoid. They also struggle with controlling their anger and are unpleasant, or they tend to develop negative feelings about things, and create less than ideal situations in their imagination.•An increased desire to self-harm — they tend to have a desire to compulsively cut, burn and bite themselves, especially in the face of stress. This compulsive desire creates calming effects for them in undesirable situations. They also tend to harbour suicidal thoughts.Dr Bell said that some people who suffer from the disorder may not always be able to recognise that they are struggling with a condition that is out of their control. It is important to be our brother’s keepers and seek medical assessment for them as soon as the above signs are observed.“People with borderline bipolar disorder require an established course of treatment. They don’t only potentially pose harm to themselves but to those around them as well, if it goes untreated. Studies show that they also tend to develop other chronic medical conditions and give in to suicidal thoughts when untreated,” Dr Bell shared.She said that the condition may require a combination of treatments to manage it. She said that psychotherapy, such as dialectical behaviour therapy or transference-focused psychotherapy, and counselling are employed to control impaired emotional desires and increased desire to self-harm. If these combined efforts are not effective, then psychiatric medication may be administered. These medications have been found to be very effective in comprehensive treatment plans. They are found to re-establish the levels of neurotransmitters in the body, thereby creating balance.Additionally, Dr Bell said some people who suffer from bipolar personality disorder also struggle with several types of addictions, such as alcohol and illegal drugs, and may need anti-addiction drugs.