Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder

By Kelsey Lamb, ARNP, PMHNP-BC

There are many people with intense emotions who struggle with feeling lonely, misunderstood, and believe there is something wrong with them. If you feel this way, please consider reaching out for additional support and guidance. You deserve to enjoy life no matter your diagnosis.

Living with intense emotions

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a limitation in a person’s capacity to regulate emotions. It is thought that people with BPD experience a heightened response to both positive and negative emotions within themselves and others. Without the ability to regulate their emotions and manage relationships, they tend to experience frequent mood swings, are easily triggered by stressful situations, and have a constant fear of abandonment and rejection. Many people with BPD have difficulties navigating social and interpersonal situations.

Today, let’s talk about BPD, its impact on emotions and how a person can still live a full life in spite of their diagnosis.

What should I do if I am diagnosed with BPD?

If you are diagnosed with BPD, it’s important to understand your diagnosis. Your therapist or other medical provider can help you to understand how BPD impacts your life. Together, you will identify goals and plan your personalized treatment to achieve them and improve your overall quality of life.

Let’s look at an example. Your goal may be to reduce symptoms of BPD. One way that we may treat symptoms is with medication. A provider who specializes in managing medications for mental health, like myself, can help determine what medications can help. At the same time, it’s always about the bigger picture too. You also want to consider broader life goals like gaining independence, becoming more credible to others, or being able to have more stable relationships. Your entire healthcare team working together can help you work towards this goal.

Through specialized therapy, people often achieve their goals and improve their quality of life.
There are many people with intense emotions who struggle with feeling lonely, misunderstood, and believe there is something wrong with them. If you feel this way, please consider reaching out for additional support and guidance. You deserve to enjoy life no matter your diagnosis.

If you feel that you or your loved one is suffering from symptoms of BPD, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team here at Covenant Family Solutions for support. Together, we can work towards wellness.

Please note, the information in the article above and throughout this website is not a replacement for personal medical advice. If you or a loved one is in need of mental health services, please contact us to request an appointment or reach out to your healthcare provider.

Kelsey Lamb, ARNP, PMHNP-BC
Kelsey Lamb, ARNP, PMHNP-BC
As a nurse, Kelsey worked in acute mental health settings which inspired her to become a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She provides assessment, diagnosis, and medication management for children, adolescents, and adults. Kelsey's specialties include anxiety, depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and bipolar disorder.
Kelsey Lamb, ARNP, PMHNP-BC
Kelsey Lamb, ARNP, PMHNP-BC
As a nurse, Kelsey worked in acute mental health settings which inspired her to become a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She provides assessment, diagnosis, and medication management for children, adolescents, and adults. Kelsey's specialties include anxiety, depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and bipolar disorder.

Get direction for your life!

Most of our poor decisions and behaviors that we wish we could re-do are driven by our feelings. In most cases we are probably reacting from an emotion and not even really thinking!

ODD is one of the most common behavioral disorders among kids. Unfortunately, people exhibiting these behaviors are sometimes mislabeled as "naughty" or "bad," which can be damaging.

Regulate your emotions and then engage in co-regulation with your teen from a place of curiosity and compassion.

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