Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder at Newport Beach, CA.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
is a serious mental illness characterized by instability, problems with interpersonal relationships, and behaviors that can result in self-inflicted injuries.
Borderline Personality Disorders are more prevalent than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, affecting about 2 percent of the population – primarily young women. BPD is thought to account for about 11 percent of psychiatric outpatient treatment and 19 percent of inpatient treatment (Wideger & Francis, 1989). The mood instability and the self-injurious behaviors frequently result in severe emotional disturbance that motivates the individual to seek help. Treatment issues initially involve stabilizing mood and addressing self-injurious behaviors.
Once immediate concerns are stabilized, treatment can assist the individual in learning coping skills to manage negative moods and impulsiveness.
Morningside Recovery Treatment Programs is a dual-diagnosis treatment facility in Newport Beach, CA. Morningside Recovery will admit clients with substance abuse issues and/or mild to moderate mental health disorders. Individuals with BPD frequently present for treatment at this facility. The BPD individual presents a challenge in treatment. The mood swings and difficulty with interpersonal relationships can create roadblocks in treatment. The unstable and reactive mood associated with BPD often results in the individual self-medicating to provide relief from unbearable and toxic moods. The roller coaster ride of emotions and the chaotic interpersonal relationships are a recipe for disaster when drugs and alcohol enter the picture. Adding in the potential for self-harm, this particular personality disorder makes for a challenging treatment protocol.
During recovery from drugs and/or alcohol, an individual’s mood stability is an important part of the treatment plan. Mood instability is a major influence in relapse during recovery. Negative mood states such as anger, depression, and anxiety can result in negative thoughts and feelings that can undermine motivation in recovery. In the initial stages of recovery, the individual is often relieved and grateful for breaking the cycle of addiction and dependence. However, as the individual continues on the path of recovery, there is often a sense of letdown. It is these negative moods that can place the individual at risk for relapse. This is often the point in recovery where the individual will begin to miss the old lifestyle and romanticize or glorify the old days and “fun” associated with drugs and alcohol.
Recovery from drugs and alcohol is a difficult journey. The individual’s personal strengths and coping skills need to be considered when developing a treatment plan for recovery. Individuals with BPD have an added complication of mood instability and excessive emotional reactivity that can interfere with treatment. The psychological process of “splitting” is a BPD trait that results in inconsistent feelings alternating between idealizing and devaluing.
At first, an individual with BPD will often idealize the treatment provider and/or the facility, showering praise and expressing appreciation for treatment. Eventually, however, the idealizing will fade and the individual will often find a reason to devalue the therapist or facility. This process of splitting creates a sense of ongoing crisis that gets in the way of focusing on recovery from drugs and alcohol.
One of the more promising approaches to treating BPD has been developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. Dr. Linehan has developed a cognitive behavioral treatment protocol for BPD (Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder, Guilford Press, 1993). She promotes a dialect approach to treatment that promotes awareness of the extreme emotional and cognitive reactions to stressors and offers a sense of “mindfulness” of one’s own reaction.
The goal of treatment is to encourage clients to avoid extreme reactions and find a middle of the road approach to thoughts, feelings and reactions. This approach has been shown to be very effective with managing the dual-diagnosed client.
Morningside Recovery is dedicated to providing treatment in recovery for dually diagnosed clients. The process of recovery is an ongoing journey where abstinence from drugs and alcohol is only the first step in helping clients regain their physical and emotional health. Once the cobweb of drugs and alcohol is cleared from the mind, the client can then focus on attaining meaningful change in the process of recovery.
At Morningside, Quality, Caring Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment is Affordable.
