Borderline personality disorder is one of the most challenging mental illnesses someone can face in life. It’s very difficult to diagnose, has no medication to directly treat it and it creates harm for a person’s loved ones for several different reasons. Given these difficult circumstances, when someone begins to understand that he or she may be suffering from borderline personality disorder, or BPD, it’s a big step. The next step, completing a BPD exam or assessment, can be critically important to that person’s overall quality of life.
That’s because, despite the lack of medication for BPD, its symptoms can be managed successfully if a person obtains a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. Our team of Orange County mental health professionals at SoCal Empowered has been helping people manage the symptoms of borderline personality disorder for years. Below we’re going to provide an introduction into what you can expect if you or a loved one has decided to complete a BPD exam with a mental health professional.
A Brief Overview of Borderline Personality Disorder
Our team has discussed borderline personality disorder extensively. Overall, BPD is a disorder that occurs in several forms. Generally, it affects a person’s ability to regulate his or her emotions and the resulting ability to enjoy functional relationships with others. Below are just a few links for more information on borderline personality disorder:
- The Four Types of Borderline Personality Disorder
- Impulsive Borderline Personality Disorder
- Petulant Borderline Personality Disorder
- Histrionic Borderline Personality Disorder
- Quiet Borderline Personality Disorder
- A Quick BPD Test
It is an emerging diagnosis, and one that’s growing in prevalence. According to the National Institutes of Health, almost 6 percent of the American population displays at least one characteristic of BPD in their lifetime. Those suffering from BPD also account for approximately 20 percent of the inpatient psychiatric population at any given time.
Suspecting Borderline Personality Disorder
As mentioned above, borderline personality disorder is a very tricky illness. It’s subtle, and can often be misdiagnosed as some other problem. That’s partly because the majority of people who suffer from BPD are highly intelligent, which gives them the ability to manipulate and dominate others. Most who are able to do this are not seen as people who are suffering from mental illness.
Ultimately, if people are experiencing many or all of the following symptoms:
- Fear of abandonment
- Experiencing unstable relationships
- An inability to maintain a consistent self-image
- Impulsive/destructive behaviors or proclivities
- Explosive, even dangerous outbursts of anger
- Never-ending feelings of inadequacy
- Wild and emotional mood swings
- Engaging in self-harm
- Paranoia
It may be time to see a mental health professional for a BPD exam.
The BPD Exam: What To Expect
Given the complicated nature of BPD, it should only be diagnosed by an experienced mental health professional. You should also know that borderline personality disorder is not an obvious diagnosis, so it may take more than one session in order to identify it. Therefore, as difficult as it may be for someone who has this illness, patience is going to be necessary. The symptoms of BPD are often similar to other illnesses that include:
Therefore, getting to the bottom of things with a BPD exam is going to take some work.
Specifically, your BPD exam will include an extremely thorough, seemingly exhaustive look into your symptoms. Your mental health professional will ask you about what you’re experiencing, how often you’re experiencing those feelings, how long you’re experiencing them and how intense they are when they arise.
You will also likely need to discuss – in detail – your relationships with others, your history of relationships in just about every context and your academic and work history. That’s because a BPD exam needs to look at how you interact, coexist and treat others. This is a personality disorder, after all, so your therapist will need to closely examine your personality.
You may also need to complete some questionnaires that dig into your situation, and every BPD exam will have different ways of doing this. What is perhaps most important, however, is that you are honest throughout your BPD exam. You are there for a reason, and it’s a very good one: You have accepted the fact that you need help, and you’re taking the very brave step of getting it for the first time. Even if you’re simply agreeing to having a BPD exam because of concerns from loved ones, you’re still doing something incredibly brave and beneficial.
Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment
If your BPD exam ultimately leads to a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, then you will need to begin planning for treatment. The good news with regards to this illness is that it can be treated successfully. No two people are ever exactly alike, which means that no two treatment plans are ever exactly the same.
Generally, treatment for borderline personality disorder will involve therapy, and in some cases it could involve others. You’ll need to work with your mental health professionals to put that plan together, and then you’ll need to commit yourself to sticking to that plan and following through.
How SoCal Empowered Can Help
If your BPD exam has generated a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, inpatient help may be what you need to learn to cope with the symptoms of this difficult disease. Our team of Orange County mental health professionals can help you do that, as we have worked with many people who have come to us with a diagnosis of BPD and who needed to learn how to live a happier and healthier life.
If you’re ready to take this step, all you need to do is contact us. We’ll listen to your situation and even deal directly with your insurance company should we both feel that inpatient help is what you need. Contact us today. We look forward to seeing how we can help you.
