Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment
Treating Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a collaborative effort at Morningside Recovery. The staff at Morningside develops a comprehensive multidisciplinary care plan, specifying the expectations and responsibilities of the client. The treatment plan will set manageable short-term goals and specify steps that the client (and possibly the family) can take to achieve them. It is important to note that studies have shown that brief psychological interventions for Borderline Personality Disorder don’t work. Therefore, Morningside Recovery helps clients identify long-term goals such as education and employment, which are integral parts of treating Borderline Personality Disorder.
Treatment for clients with borderline personality disorder, especially those with a co-occurring disorder (dual-diagnosis), begins with structured care and an open and honest theoretical approach used by both the treatment team and the therapists. Borderline Personality Disorder patients typically function best in highly structured situations and have shown higher levels of psychopathology in unstructured treatment settings. For example, the staff at Morningside makes sure clients adhere to their individual schedules. Routines are established by the clinical staff and clients are monitored for attempts at impulsive sexual behaviors or binge eating.
All therapeutic approaches recognize that Borderline Personality Disorder is a severe mental illness characterized by a persistent and unreactive low mood. There is usually loss of interest in formerly pleasurable activities, usually accompanied by a range of symptoms including appetite change, sleep disturbance, fatigue, loss of energy, poor concentration, and morbid thoughts. One therapeutic approach is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which was developed specifically to treat Borderline Personality Disorder, and this technique has shown promise in studies. Individual counseling sessions allow clients to work through the painful feelings such as anger, sadness and guilt.
Clients with Borderline Personality Disorder often exhibit symptoms that can be confused with bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety. Therapists will take into account when Borderline Personality Disorder was first diagnosed, symptom severity, how long the individual has been suffering, and past treatment. In the long term, therapy involving discussion groups or support groups is perhaps the most effective treatment for many people suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder. Group members help each other realize that many people have done the same things and felt the same emotions. That, in turn, helps the individual realize that he or she is not unique in feelings of hopelessness or guilt.
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