Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a method used in the treatment of mental health issues, emotional issues, or relationship issues. In fact, psychotherapy can be and is used today for just about any personal problem that arises for people.
Psychotherapy is a method conducted by trained therapists, psychologists, or mental health professionals to assist people in their daily living. It can be used in the treatment of severe mental disorders, or can be used to just help people get through life.
Psychotherapy relies on eliminating painful and uncomfortable experiences for people through the use of one-on-one communication. The therapist and the client engage in one-on-one dialogue until they both feel the problem has been resolved.
The end result of psychotherapy is that behavior or thought patterns of the person seeking therapy will change, and thus, improve the mental or emotional state of an individual. Psychotherapy can be one on one, or conducted in a group setting.
Psychotherapy is a critical element in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is also known as CBT. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a form of therapy used in a setting with a therapist where the therapist works with the client to change both thought patterns and behavior patterns.
The cognitive component of the therapy works on the thought patterns of the individual, and the behavioral component of the therapy works on the individual’s behavior that is resulting from those thought patterns.
In Borderline Personality Disorder, the therapist will work to change the irrational thoughts and beliefs of the person so that they may, in turn, change their behavior. CBT is not an overnight process and involves a lot of work on the individual’s part, both in and out of the therapist’s office. However, it is a very effective means of treating many of the primary symptoms of borderline personality disorder.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is also known as DBT and is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy specific to the borderline personality. DBT teaches the borderline skills that will replace their irrational or negative thoughts that translate into irrational and negative behaviors.
The emphasis in DBT is to teach borderlines how to accept themselves, and how they change their thought patterns. This change of thought patterns is expected to give them relief from their symptoms of BPD and improve their quality of life.
DBT therapists understand that individuals with BPD react abnormally to most forms of emotional triggers. They will experience higher levels of arousal at faster rates, and their emotions will peak higher than an average person’s.
As a result, the borderline’s emotions take longer to return to normal. Because the lives of borderlines
are so emotionally volatile, their lives contain a lot of crisis and instability in relationships.
The borderline’s emotional patterns have never been validated, or have been invalidated to the point that they feel worthless. DBT teaches coping methods for their emotional surges, and provides skills to use positive emotions to change daily behaviors.
DBT has been known to be extremely ffective in the treatment of BPD.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants are a form of pharmaceutical support used in the treatment of BPD to provide relief from mood issues such as impulsive behavior, irritability, anger, or depression.
The most common kind of antidepressants used in BPD are selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors, which are also known as SSRIs. This medicine will target a chemical in the brain called serotonin to help alter moods such as depression, anger, or anxiety.
Other forms of antidepressants that can be used are tricyclic antidepressants or monoamine oxidase inhibitors, but these often have more severe side effects than SSRIs and thus are used less often.
The most commonly used SSRIs are Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, and Lexapro.
Antipsychotics
Medications that are called “antipsychotics” are used to treat the more severe symptoms of borderline personality disorder. This form of pharmaceutical support is often used with the most severe cases, and will not be used with every client.
These medications are used to balance neurotransmitters, chemicals in the brain which, if unbalanced, may trigger psychotic behavior. Antipsyschotics in the borderline are used to control behaviors that are seen as impulsive or reckless to the point that the behaviors will cause danger to the individual or to someone else.
The most common antipsychotics used in treating BPD are Xyprexa, Risperdal, and Seroquel.
Mood Stabilizers
A mood stabilizer is a kind of medication that does just what its name suggests – stabilizes moods. Mood stabilizers are used in the treatment of mood disorders, or in disorders where violent mood swings are present. A mood stabilizer will be prescribed if the individual describes mood swings that are intense and that last for long periods of time. Some mood stabilizers are also considered to be anticonvulsants.
A medication is considered a mood stabilizer if it provides relief from these mood swings, and if it prevents them from recurring. The medication must also prevent the depression or mood swings from worsening in order to be seen as a mood stabilizer.
Mood stabilizers can be effective in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. These medications will be prescribed to reduce self-harm, anger, impulsivities, depression, and anxiety in BPD. These medicines will work on the part of the brain that controls emotions and temperament, and will work to control those for the borderline personality. Aggression and anger specifically can be controlled when mood stabilizers are being used.
The most common form of mood stabilizer is lithium, but other kinds of mood stabilizers are: Depaken, Depacon, Lamictal, Tegretol, Neurontin, Trileptal, and Topomax.
References
American Psychiatric Association.”Practice guidelines for the treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder.” American Journal of Psychiatry. 2001. 158 (10): 1-52.
Friedel, R.O., P.D. Hoffman, D. Penney, and P. Woodward. Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Living with BPD. 2004. Marlowe & Co.
Gunderson, J. G. Borderline Personality Disorder: A Clinical Guide. 2001. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing.
