Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD, is an extremely common and difficult challenge that millions of people across the United States face daily. Perhaps just as difficult is the challenge that their loved ones also live with, as people with BPD struggle with interpersonal relationships on several levels. As we’ve discussed, there are several types of BPD. There are also BPD quizzes people can take to find out more about their situation. Today, we’re going to delve into what is known as quiet BPD.
Quiet BPD, sometimes also known as “discouraged” BPD, may not get a lot of notice in the public sphere, but part of that is because of its inherent characteristics in people who suffer from it. Below we’re going to describe the most common symptoms of quiet BPD, the treatments currently available for it and ideas for what you should do should you suspect that you or someone you love suffers from quiet BPD.
Quiet BPD Symptoms
As mentioned, Quiet Borderline Personality Disorder is a bit different from the other types of Borderline Personality Disorder, mostly because the person’s aggression is turned inward instead of outward. A recent article that appeared in Forbes digs into that distinction. While quiet BPD is not an official diagnosis, it is recognized as one of the four types of Borderline Personality Disorder that affects millions of people across the country.
The symptoms of quiet BPD can be relatively subtle, and therefore this can be a difficult diagnosis to make for medical professionals. However, there are some quiet BPD symptoms that are relatively common, and examples include:
- Mood swings that can last up to days at a time that are not outwardly noticeable
- Withdrawing from those nearby when upset
- Relentless feelings of guilt and/or shame for no apparent reason
- Feeling like a burden to others
- A willingness to sacrifice even to that person’s own detriment for others
- A powerful, irrational fear of rejection
- Feelings of numbness or “nothingness”
- An inability to connect with others
- The suppression of feelings of deep anger
- Instinctively blaming oneself for every conflict that arises
- An urge to commit self-harm
- Suicidal thoughts or impulses
There is no hard-and-fast rule that a person must exhibit any specific number of these symptoms in order to be diagnosed with Quiet Borderline Personality Disorder. Some may only experience a few of them while others will endure nearly all of them for prolonged periods of time.
If you notice a loved one exhibiting any of these symptoms and you’re concerned deep-down that something is quite wrong, you should act on that instinct and at least find out more about what you can do to help. Quiet BPD may be outwardly subtle compared to other mental health challenges, but that doesn’t mean that it’s any less powerful.
Treatments for Quiet BPD
Given the challenges relating to diagnosing quiet BPD given its relatively subtle nature, simply identifying the problem in the first place can be a large part of the overall battle. Once the problem is diagnosed, however, quiet BPD can be treated and treated successfully with the proper approach and mindset. Common treatment approaches for quiet BPD include:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – DBT, as we have stated at the linked page, at least in part came about because clinicians were looking for new ways to treat people with Borderline Personality Disorder. That’s because the more “traditional” treatment methods were often too harsh for people with this disorder that features sensitivity.
Therefore, DBT treatment involves a situation where the “DBT therapist will accept and validate an experience and response, and challenge them on another. This makes it easier for the patient to tolerate requests and challenge their mode of thinking.” This type of ongoing validation reinforces the comfort level of the patient suffering from BPD. It also addresses the root-level thinking that can cause so much harm in people suffering from this condition.
- Medications – There are certain medications that have proved somewhat successful with the treatment of the symptoms of quiet BPD. However, we should always remember that in these situations, the medication is treating the symptoms and not the cause of quiet BPD. They will help manage the day-day lifestyle of a patient, but in itself medication will not lead to long-term breakthroughs.
As such, most patients who use medication for their quiet BPD do so as part of an overall treatment plan that includes psychotherapy. It’s common for people in this position to undergo regular individual treatment sessions and group sessions in order to reinforce what’s being trained on and learned.
- An Individualized Approach – One of the most common difficulties with managing quiet BPD is that no two patients are ever exactly alike with regards to their symptoms and their responses to treatment. Therefore, everyone who undergoes treatment for quiet BPD should have an individualized plan tailored for them that could include any number of strategies. Those strategies could change over time as the patient shows a response to what has been done to that point.
How SoCal Empowered Can Help
As you can see, quiet BPD is a very difficult mental health challenge to face. It’s difficult to recognize in the first place, it requires individualized treatment and it’s generally a long-term effort to manage it successfully. To date, there is no cure for quiet BPD, but it can be brought relatively under control if the right people are doing the right things at the right times.
If you’re concerned that you or a loved one may be suffering from quiet BPD, then you need to contact our team of Orange County mental health professionals as soon as possible. We will listen to your situation and help you decide what to do next. If that involves a stay with us, then we will work directly with your insurance company to determine coverage before you commit to anything. After all, now is not the time for surprises.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.
