Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental health issue that is characterized by unstable relationships, behaviors, moods, and emotions. Left untreated, BPD can cause significant issues in a person’s life disrupting their work, school, day-to-day events, and their relationships with others. 

Like many psychological disorders, the causes of BPD are complex and not fully known. But with appropriate help and treatment, people diagnosed with BPD can live a better quality of life and reduce their symptoms.

Key Terms:

Mental Illness

A mental illness is often diagnosed when a person experiences disturbances in their thought patterns, feelings, or behaviors. Typically, these disturbances impact a person’s life by causing distress for them at work, at school, or in their relationships and activities.

Psychological Evaluation

A psychological evaluation consists of a series of interviews, tests, and assessments to measure a person’s behaviors, thoughts, and emotions and help mental health professionals arrive at a diagnosis.1 These evaluations are also used to help guide a person’s treatment.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

DBT is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy designed to teach people how to live with the intense and challenging emotions that accompany BPD. Developed in the late 1980s, DBT helps people learn how to regulate their emotions and behaviors, improve their relationships, and develop mindful ways of coping with stress.

Mentalization-Based Therapy

MBT is an evidence-based treatment option for people with BPD in which they learn how to engage in mentalizing. Mentalizing, which involves being able to separate one's emotional state from that of others, helps people with BPD learn how to think before they react to their emotions or the perceived feelings of others.

Transference-Focused Psychotherapy

TFP is an evidence-based psychotherapy approach for people with BPD. It uses the idea of transference—the concept that people will bring their problematic emotional reactions into the therapy relationship itself.3 The therapist utilizes these interactions to bring attention to aspects of the patient's mind they may not be fully aware of. This can lead to potential emotional and relationship growth.

source: https://www.verywellmind.com/borderline-personality-disorder-4157266