Frequently asked questions about borderline personality disorder
What is borderline personality disorder?
Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness, with symptoms recurring over a lifetime and worsening during times of stress. The disorder affects your personal, social and working life. Symptoms include:
- feelings of insecurity
- self-harm
- difficulty relating to other people
- poor sense of self
- impulsiveness, leading to drug or alcohol abuse or reckless behaviour
- confused emotions and mood swings
- confused personal goals
- unstable relationships
- dissociation.
Can borderline personality disorder be genetic?
The chance of developing borderline personality disorder is increased if there is a genetic predisposition. However, if you don’t have the disorder in your family it doesn’t mean that it won’t develop.
Is borderline personality disorder life-threatening?
The emotional distress caused by borderline personality disorder is a risk factor for suicide. If you or your loved one feels disabled by fear and despair, it’s important to open the door to discussion and to ask for professional help.
Is there a cure for borderline personality disorder?
Borderline personality disorder is caused by a number of factors, including genetics, personality and the experience of trauma. Successful treatment needs to be holistic, addressing all of these factors. Research shows that dialectical behavioural therapy successfully reduces the severity, frequency, intensity and duration of the disorder, providing skills that can be used and practised in daily life.
How do we treat borderline personality disorder?
Wesley Hospital Ashfield and Wesley Hospital Kogarah’s treatment programs for borderline personality disorder take a therapeutic approach, using dialectical behaviour therapy. Our highly regarded treatment programs are holistic, addressing all aspects of life that could have contributed to the development of the disorder. Our programs for borderline personality disorder include the following group sessions and homework:
- a supportive skills-training day program, held weekly for up to 12 months
- between-session phone coaching to help support the use of skills in daily life
- a homework review group, in which participants review diary cards completed during the week to help monitor emotions, urges and behaviours as well as the use of skills learned
- skills training group, in which different skills are taught and discussed, focusing on skills modules that develop emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness and interpersonal effectiveness
- experiential group, focusing on the practical reinforcement of skills, including exercises
- mindfulness practice, in which a variety of mindfulness exercises are taught throughout the program to help participants develop a variety of other skills.
What is dialectical behavioural therapy?
Research shows that dialectical behavioural therapy is an effective program for treating self-harm and borderline personality disorder. This extensively researched therapy was specifically developed to treat people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, who struggle with self-harm or suicidal urges.
Our treatment sessions are collaborative, involving the identification of the emotional, cognitive and behavioural patterns that may have led to the disorder. Typically, treatment for borderline personality disorder takes 12 months, depending on the individual and whether another mental health issue needs to be concurrently treated.
