borderline personality disorder counseling

Emotional Dysregulation Disorder: What is it?

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

Emotional Dysregulation Disorder: What is it?

By Sherry Yang

Emotional dysregulation disorder (EDD), also known as borderline personality disorder, is a mental illness that is characterized by severe emotional instability. Those with EDD are constantly changing their feelings about themselves and others, and only feel emotions on extreme levels. EDD significantly affects impulsivity, self-image, and relationships. It can be caused by family history, brain structure, or environmental factors such as trauma. Symptoms may include:

  • A pattern of unstable relationships with loved ones
  • Distorted and unstable sense of self
  • Impulsive and possibly dangerous behaviors
  • Self-harming or suicidal thoughts
  • Difficulties controlling anger
  • Feelings of dissociation
  • Intense and unstable moods and emotional episodes
  • Problems with real or perceived abandonment

Although EDD may appear similar to another mental illness, bipolar disorder, these two are notably different. Bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings with emotional highs and lows; the highs are feelings of mania and the lows are feelings of depression. This disorder does not have as much emphasis on relationships and self-image, which are key to EDD.

If you or someone you know is struggling with emotional dysregulation disorder, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling and Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively at (201)-368-3700 or (212)-722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit https://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com

References:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/borderline-personality-disorder

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355955

Borderline Personality Disorder: Misdiagnosed

GalleryJudy Gurfein 4 Comments

Borderline Personality Disorder: Misdiagnosed

By Zoe Alekel

When struggling with your mental health, the last thing you want to hear from a doctor or therapist is that they don’t think anything is wrong. It can leave you confused, lost, hopeless, and alone. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed because of the disorder’s symptoms and stigma. According to the Mayo Clinic symptoms of borderline personality disorder include:

  • Intense fear of abandonment—including real or imagined separation/ rejection
  • Feelings of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness
  • Unstable relationships—idealizing someone one moment, then suddenly believing they don’t care or that they are cruel
  • Distorted view of self and self-image—including dissociation (feeling as if you don’t exist at all or if the moment in time isn’t real)
  • Impulsive and risky behavior—including rebellion, drug abuse, reckless driving, sudden decision making, unsafe sex and promiscuity, and sabotaging success or personal relationships
  • Suicidal thoughts, threats, or behavior or self-injury, often in response to fear of separation or rejection
  • Mood swings lasting from a few hours to a few days— including intense happiness, irritability, shame or anxiety
  • Inappropriate, intense anger—losing temper easily, acting out, intense irritability

The symptoms for BPD often look like other mental health conditions—contributing to misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis. Sometimes BPD has similar patterns and symptoms as bipolar disorder, which can also include severe mood swings. One study shows that 40% of people, who only met the criteria for BPD, were still misdiagnosed with Bipolar Type 2; which is likely due to the overlapping and similar symptoms of each disorder.

Another reason why BPD can go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed is because of the myth that teens can’t have BPD. Many of the symptoms of BPD can be seen as “typical teenage behavior” as this is a crucial time in an adolescent’s life when they are developing personality and identity. Diagnosing younger adolescents with BPD is often avoided because of the stigma attached to the diagnosis. Some clinicians may fear that the client’s symptoms may only worsen with a BPD diagnosis. This can be very dangerous and harmful to the client who is not accurately being diagnosed, especially because it limits the resources they can receive for help.

BPD does not only appear in a specific age group or gender, and sometime can mirror other diagnoses or the experience of a typical adolescent. Health professionals and advocates must continue to educate and understand the reality of BPD, and know when to properly diagnose so their client can receive the help they need.

If you or someone you know is struggling with borderline personality disorder, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/

Sources: https://nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/October-2017/Why-Borderline-Personality-Disorder-is-Misdiagnose

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20370237

Image source: https://wakeup-world.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Genie-in-a-Bottle-The-Spiritual-Gift-of-Borderline-Personality-Disorder-1.jpg

Borderline Personality Disorder: Helping Yourself and Your Family

GalleryJudy Gurfein 2 Comments

By Argie Dabrowski

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a Cluster B personality disorder. Like other disorders in this category, including histrionic, narcissistic, and antisocial personality disorder, BPD is characterized by unpredictable, dramatic, and overly-emotional behavior and thoughts. Specific to borderline patients is a persistent fear of abandonment by others, which leads to unstable relationships, suicidal gestures, self-damaging behavior, anger and emptiness, and even dissociative symptoms. For those with this condition, their symptoms not only interfere with their daily functioning but can also strain their closest personal relationships. Having a family member that suffers from a personality disorder can be a difficult and distressing experience. When it comes to coping with borderline personality disorder in family members, steps can be taken to help both them and yourself.

First of all, it is important to remember that it is not your job to treat and constantly provide reassurance for a borderline family member. You can still show that you love and care about them, but not to the point that it affects your own mental health. It may be difficult, but you should not put your own life on hold for someone else or be their punching bag, verbally or physically. At that point, it is imperative to step away from the situation and allow the person to seek help on their own. Professional help is available to them in the form of medication and therapy.

Although there are no BPD-specific drugs, medications can be used if the patient is experiencing symptoms of other disorders with their BPD. For example, some people with borderline personality disorder experience depressive episodes so they may be prescribed antidepressants, such as escitalopram or fluoxetine. Mood-stabilizers can also be used and if a patient also has psychotic features, they may be treated with antipsychotics.

Besides medication, there are also multiple types of therapy that can be used to treat borderline personality disorder. Dialectical behavior therapy is a treatment that is available and is used to treat BPD specifically. Through this therapy, patients work on their ability to cope with their intense emotional responses and learn the skills needed to deal with crises and other distress in a healthy manner. It is easy to be overwhelmed when faced with borderline personality disorder in family members, but help is out there.

If you or someone you know is struggling with borderline personality disorder, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/

Sources:
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/personality-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20354463
psychologytoday.com/us/blog/matter-personality/201312/borderline-provocations-part-ii-how-not-respond
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20370242
psychcentral.com/lib/an-overview-of-dialectical-behavior-therapy/

Image Source:
pathwaysreallife.com/borderline-personality-disorder-treatment/