Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Therapy in Marietta, Roswell, and Atlanta

Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition characterized by ongoing difficulties with emotions, relationships, self-image, and behavior. People with BPD may experience a pattern of intense and unstable relationships. They may feel emotions very intensely and act impulsively, sometimes without thinking through the consequences. A strong fear of abandonment is also common.

Relationships can be particularly challenging for people with BPD. Although they want close, healthy relationships, a fear of real or imagined abandonment can intensify mood shifts and impulsive behavior. These experiences are very difficult to manage and can interfere with relationships, work, and day-to-day life.

Common Signs & Symptoms

Many people experience some of these now and then. BPD involves a long-standing pattern that usually begins by early adulthood, and it can only be diagnosed by a qualified professional.

• Intense fear of real or imagined abandonment or rejection, sometimes leading to frantic efforts to prevent it
• Unstable, intense relationships
• Swinging between idealizing and devaluing others (e.g., seeing someone as perfect one moment, then suddenly as cruel or uncaring)
• Rapid, intense mood shifts, often set off by stress in relationships and usually lasting hours to a few days
• Chronic feelings of emptiness
• Intense anger or difficulty controlling anger
• Impulsive, potentially self-damaging behaviors (e.g., gambling, reckless driving, unsafe sex, binge eating, overspending, substance misuse, suddenly quitting a good job, or abruptly ending a good relationship)
• An unstable sense of self, such as rapidly shifting goals and values or feeling fundamentally flawed
• Brief, stress-related paranoid thoughts, or feeling detached from yourself or your surroundings (e.g., feeling unreal or as if you don’t exist)
• Recurrent self-harm or suicidal thoughts or behavior

Treatment and Outlook

Living with BPD does not mean someone is destined to have unstable relationships and overwhelming emotions forever. Psychotherapy is the main treatment. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has the strongest evidence of helpful therapy. Therapy can help people understand their emotions, develop healthier coping skills, improve relationships, and build a stronger sense of self. No medication is approved specifically for BPD, though medication can help with co-occurring conditions such as depression or anxiety. With ongoing support, many people with BPD experience significant improvement and build more stable, fulfilling relationships.