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I personally believe that there are a lot of common misconceptions about borderline personality disorder. When I lost my boyfriend to suicide, my grief counselor believed that he perhaps suffered from untreated borderline personality disorder simply because he committed suicide after a relationship breakup.
BPD sufferers are known to be manipulative, well This is a very harsh comment to make about someone that is using the best skills they have available.
From what I knew and experienced, he was a very honorable man who was rather calm, logical, and rational. However, he definitely had troubles controlling his mood. (he did not have an anger problem though) Now hindsight being 20/20, I can clearly see that he was not "normal" (for lack of better word) For example, he could go on 4 nights without sleep, he would arrange furniture in the middle of the night, he had so much energy to a point where he felt very uncomfortable. His words "I feel like a caged animal, don't know what to do."
well, I guess till this day, I don't know what my loved one suffered from. I am able to put the past where it belongs, the past. But I am still curious, is borderline personality disorder curable? My grief counselor said BPD sufferers are the most difficult to deal with because they are manipulative, highly intellectual, and they don't have capability of life-affirming relationships with anybody. I found this to be untrue.
My ex boyfriend loved me and his little girl, he gave us true love almost close to unconditional. Could it be that there are different kinds of bpd out there? Low functioning, and high functioning? What do you think? Do you think BPD can be cured?
I am still curious, is borderline personality disorder curable? My grief counselor said BPD sufferers are the most difficult to deal with because they are manipulative, highly intellectual, and they don't have capability of life-affirming relationships with anybody. I found this to be untrue.
All the personality disorders are difficult to treat because they're made up of long enduring character traits that are resistant to change. Fear of abandonment is what drives someone with BPD, and that fear originates in childhood. There was an interesting article in Time magazine a few years ago about successful ways to treat BPD with therapy, although it sounds as if it would take a very skilled therapist and a willing client. Interesting Article from Time Magazine on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) « Anything to Stop the Pain – BPD and Non-BPDs
All the personality disorders are difficult to treat because they're made up of long enduring character traits that are resistant to change. Fear of abandonment is what drives someone with BPD, and that fear originates in childhood. There was an interesting article in Time magazine a few years ago about successful ways to treat BPD with therapy, although it sounds as if it would take a very skilled therapist and a willing client. Interesting Article from Time Magazine on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) « Anything to Stop the Pain – BPD and Non-BPDs
I read once that it can diminish with age, but this may not be the case for every Borderline. There is also a treatment that has shown promise. Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
The one Borderline that I know uses New Age spiritual beliefs to try to refocus herself, but this has limited effectiveness. She doesn't believe or won't acknowledge that she has a problem, but her focus on New Age has prevented her from committing suicide. She still struggles with many of the symptoms of this severe disorder, including intense but troubling relationships, black and white thinking, extreme moodiness and sensitivity, self-injury, impulsivity, chronic feelings of emptiness and self-doubt, and so forth.
Sorry for your loss, I hope you have found support and if not encourage you to do so, particularly for survivors of suicide. Your boyfriend may have had a personality disorder however he may also have had a mood disorder as well. Making a diagnosis of either takes a lot of time and only a clinician should attempt it.
But the short answer to your question is no, I don't think personality disorders can be 'cured,' however I do think there is tremendous hope for all psychiatric illnesses - I work with them daily and see people overcome amazing challenges.
There are many things that help, not only medications, which can be helpful but therapy and most of all the persons' willingness to get past their issues whatever they might be. Support, friends, family, a therapist are also important but that doesn't mean if the relationship isn't working you should remain in it, that's not healthy for anyone.
If you find yourself becoming depressed or feeling guilty, and if your boyfriend is the father of your child please seek help. People who have had someone close to them complete suicide are more vulnerable to it and children who's parents have died by suicide are at even greater risk.
And re-reading your first post sounds more like Bipolar Disorder than BPD although they have similarities, but the insomnia and can't stop doing things middle of night that is classic mania. BPD people are often very angry to happy. BPD from my reading, is like Bipolar on steroids, in that cycles are faster and more often.
Regardless, sorry for your loss and neither one can be cured just managed. And from my exp. with a friend that has BP1, she can't even be managed that well.
When you have little to no insurance, you get little to no treatment. Some of those antipsychotics are $800 a month, and when you trial and error them like the psych community does, you don't get refund on $800 when it doesn't work. Then you try and buy some other meds throw more $$$ and hope.
I had to sign up to answer this, particularly as the thread seems to be spreading misconceptions by people who don't have BPD.
No, BPD sufferers are not generally manipulative. As people in general have different personalities, there may be a few BPD sufferers who are manipulative (just as there may be manipulative people in any large section of society), but it's certainly not a trait of BPD. Your grief counsellor may be helping you, but as regards his views on BPD sufferers, he's an idiot or/and ignorant. No doubt he has met one and made an assumption that hes applied to all BPD sufferers.
I don't have the full-blown BPD but I do have features of it - they're just not intense enough to warrant full BPD diagnosis by my psychiatrist. I don't know whether it can be cured but it can certainly be managed - partly through experience and open communication (in private - I don't like to talk about why I'm upset with someone even in front of other friends) and partly through stability - e.g. stable housing, stable friends, stable job (the latter hard to get with BPD but not impossible). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) may also help. I personally think drugs would not be much use as someone with BPD, in my opinion, is likely to randomly decide not to take them any more - that could just be me though.
The idea that they don't have capability of life-affirming relationships is also *******s. It can be difficult for BPD sufferers to maintain a relationship but when they do have relationships they tend to be very intense. Sometimes this isn't such a great thing, sometimes it actually is and contributes to their life experience in a positive way.
Does this sound like someone who can easily manipulate people?
The idea that they don't have capability of life-affirming relationships is also *******s.
A borderline personality disordered individual has HUGE difficulties managing relationships. The hallmark of BPD, fear of abandonment, affects their relationships in a major way. Since you say that you don't have BPD, that's great that you can manage your relationship issues.
Your link states that a GP can diagnose this. A psychiatrist is actually the only mental health professional who can accurately diagnose a personality disorder. And anyone with only an MA should not be counseling one; they don't have enough clinical experience.
I've read that all borderline personalities are extremely difficult to treat because they don't think they need treatment.
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