Treatment Of Borderline Personality Disorder: How Are Comorbidities Addressed?
Borderline disorder is a personality disorder characterized by emotional dysregulation, impulsive or self-destructive behaviors, and conflictive relationships. This disorder is generally associated with a series of different emotional, behavioral, eating, and personality disorders, among others. These comorbidities will trigger a series of symptoms that will complicate the same symptoms of borderline disorder.
Among the most frequent comorbidities are anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, panic or post-traumatic stress, as well as mood disorders such as depression, dysthymia, cyclothymia and bipolarity. Within eating disorders we have anorexia and bulimia. In the area of ​​personality disorders there are paranoid, dependent, narcissistic and antisocial. When it comes to addictions, the consumption of alcohol, drugs, sex and games is usually seen more.
Because it is a very complex and complicated disorder It is important that people who suffer from BPD seek specialized professional help since due to its complexity it deserves a more thorough and comprehensive approach at the same time. For everything stated above, I want to begin to deepen the topic by making the concept known.
It is the most common personality disorder in women and is characterized by emotional dysregulation, severe instability and interpersonal problems. This constant imbalance causes people who suffer to commit acts of self-harm and suicide attempts therefore it is considered a high risk problem. According to the DSM-5, the symptoms are:
The causes of the disorder are very complex, not only genetic or hereditary factors coming into play, but also the physiology of the brain and the environment, that is, the way in which the environment influences us.
What are the types?
BPD is classified as follows:
1. Borderline impulsive personality
They are those people who seek very strong emotions, risky, unpredictable, susceptible, very energetic and tend to get bored quickly. In addition, have suicidal thoughts and self-harming behaviors.
2. Discouraged borderline personality
They tend to be codependent, seek approval and acceptance due to their feeling of inferiority and inadequacy, and are not very assertive, which is why they are prone to depression.
3. Borderline petulant personality
They are pessimistic, impatient, predictable, irritable, critical, with little tolerance for frustration which ends in bursts of anger. They are depressed, paranoid people and use passive-aggressive behavior.
4. Self-destructive borderline personality
Introverted personalities who do not love themselves, fear abandonment, codependent, depressed, self-destructive and with a high tendency to commit suicide.
What are the psychotherapeutic treatments?
BPD is addressed in different ways:
1. Cognitive behavioral therapy
The goal of this therapy is to change the irrational thoughts and maladaptive behavior associated with the disorder.
2. Dialectical behavioral therapy
Its objective is to train patients in the regulation of their emotions adaptive coping skills to daily life events and thus improve intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships.
3. Therapy based on mentalization
The objective of this is to help connect thoughts and emotions through the reflective function of the mind. This will generate more appropriate behaviors and better interpersonal relationships.
An innovative and integrated approach to other therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral, Gestalt, attachment theory and dynamic elements, which allows a comprehensive approach. Schema therapy aims to identify and overcome cognitive and behavioral avoidance; and discover the origins of early dysfunctional schemes and the influence of all this on their life and finally they are trained to develop psychological strategies so that the healthy adult is the one who takes the role and faces life in an adaptive or adequate way and to may cure the other maladaptive modes.
What are the comorbidities?
According to Gasulla’s studies, the most frequent comorbidities in BPD are:
Conclusions
It can be said that borderline disorder is a personality disorder that is characterized by impulsivity, emotional instability and maladaptive behaviors that harm relationships on a personal and interpersonal level. On the other hand, regarding comorbidities, borderline disorder is associated with disorders such as: generalized anxiety, depressive disorders, ADHD, OCD, PTSD, as well as sleep and eating disorders; narcissistic, paranoid, antisocial personality disorders; psychotic disorders, substance dependence, etc. This does not mean that everyone who has borderline disorder has all of the aforementioned disorders, but it will depend on the causes and type of borderline disorder that each patient presents.
