Borderline personality disorder counseling at Thriveworks is personalized to each individual. Depending on your unique needs, it can help you learn to manage uncomfortable feelings, reduce impulsivity, and improve relationships (which might otherwise be negatively affected by your condition).
The length of borderline personality disorder counseling sessions will vary from one person to the next, dependent on their specific needs. However, most treatments for borderline personality disorder last for 1-3 years.
Borderline Personality Disorder in Lynchburg, VA—Counseling and Therapy
Thriveworks Lynchburg offers appointments for BPD therapy. If you’re seeking treatment for BPD conditions, reach out by phone or call us to get started.
Borderline Personality Disorder: Signs and Symptoms
In particular, volatility is a hallmark of borderline personality disorder. BPD often means people have unstable relationships, emotions, and sense of self:
- Feeling scared at the idea of being abandoned and going to extremes to avoid perceived or real abandonment.
- Being belligerent: exhibiting bitterness, angry outbursts, using sarcasm, losing one’s temper, starting/engaging in fights, and more.
- A pattern of fractured partnerships, relationships, friendships, and connections.
- Shifting quickly between different identities—changing one’s values, goals, and perceptions on a regular basis.
- Seesawing between emotional extremes: irritability and euphoria, anxiety and happiness, and more.
- Experiencing paranoia—losing touch with reality for a period of time, possibly minutes or even hours or even days.
- An inability to accept criticism or rejection of any kind, including healthy separation or constructive criticism.
- Self-injury, attempted suicide, or threats to harm oneself (particularly when faced with criticism, fear, or rejection).
- Feeling empty.
- Acting impetuously: gambling without restraint, engaging in unsafe sex, reckless driving, drug abuse, and more.
The symptoms of BPD show that it can wreak havoc all by itself, but often, it also leaves people are treat risk for other mental health challenges. In particular, DBP can also co-occur with self-harm, depression, eating disorders, addiction, and substance abuse.
Risk Factors and BPD
Over one percent of the population in the US will develop Borderline Personality Disorder. How it develops and why it develops in some but not others is still a mystery. However, mental health professionals have identified certain factors that may increase an individual’s risk, including….
- Genetic history: relatives to have BPD
- Experiencing abuse or neglect as a child, especially if the perpetrator was a caregiver or parent.
- A hippocampus (the area of the brain that controls stress responses) that is reduced in size.
- Losing a parent or caregiver as a child.
Therapy for BPD
There are effective treatments that may mitigate the destructive effects of Borderline Personality disorder. Skilled therapists can often help people find an individualized treatment plan that address their unique needs and concerns. Often, people can learn how to cultivate a well-adapted life and manage their BPD. One of the most effective therapies for BPD is Dialectical Behavior Therapy. This is therapy that focuses upon healing and coping skills such as…
- Mindfulness is a foundational skill for good mental health. When people practice mindfulness, they simply observe themselves—their emotions, their bodies, and more. Mindfulness emphasizes paying attention without judging.
- Emotional regulation builds upon mindfulness. When emotions are observed, people are able to respond to them (instead of react according to them) with the skill of emotional regulation. For example, they may sense themselves becoming angry and decision to directly address the problem before they lash out.
- Distress tolerance are those skills needed when life goes wrong or is challenging, and challenges, setbacks, and struggles are a guarantee in life.
- Interpersonal effectiveness is all about relationships. These are the skills that allow people to successfully build and maintain healthy relationships in every area of your life—at home, in the office, as friends, within a marriage, as a parent, and more.
Scheduling Appointments for Borderline Personality Disorder at Thriveworks Lynchburg
Thriveworks Lynchburg offers BPD, and we have appointments available. If you recognized some symptoms of BPD, consider reaching out by scheduling online or give us a call. We also accept many different insurance plans.
