Limit personality disorder (TLP) affects how a person thinks, perceives, and interacts with others, it is a serious mental illness characterized by widespread instability of a person’s mood, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior, leading to deficiencies and behaviors that def from social norms. The essential feature of limit personality disorder is a general pattern of instability associated with interpersonal relationships, self-image and affections.
In short, TLP means a persistent anomaly in social and personal functioning, a particular way to deal with problems and interpersonal relationships, which usually begins in adolescence or early adulthood, and when diagnosed, most people are between the ages of 19 and 34.
- People with borderline personality disorder make frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.
- The perception of being abandoned or rejected can lead to profound changes in self-image.
- Affect.
- Cognition.
- And behavior.
These individuals are very sensitive to environmental conditions. They experience a great fear of abandonment and exaggerated anger, this occurs when the separation is real, even for a limited time, or when inevitable changes occur in their plans, for example, they may feel this fear or anger when someone important to them is a few minutes late or has to cancel an appointment.
Can people with TPL believe this? Abandonment? that means they are “bad”. The fear of abandonment is linked to an intolerance of loneliness and the need to have other people around you. Frenzied efforts to avoid quitting can include impulsive acts, such as self-harm or suicidal behavior.
“People with border-limiting personality disorder make frantic efforts to avoid real or imaginary abandonment. “
People with border-limiting personality disorder have a pattern of unstable and intense relationships. They can idealize caregivers or their potential lovers on the first or second date. They may also need to spend a lot of time together and share the most intimate details of a relationship. even if it’s recent.
However, they can move quickly from idealization to devaluation of people; they may believe that the other person is not so important in their lives, that they do not pay enough attention to them, or that they do not stay with them for as long as necessary. take care of others, but only with the expectation that this person will meet their own needs when they need them. These people are subject to sudden and dramatic changes in the way they see others. Others may consider them their best support and also their worst enemy.
These changes often reflect the disappointment of a caregiver whose parenting qualities have been idealized or whose rejection or abandonment is expected.
There may be a change of identity, characterized by an unstable self-image or a marked and persistent sense of instability; suddenly and radically change their self-image, goals, values and professional aspirations.
There may be abrupt changes in opinions and plans regarding occupation, gender identity, values, and types of friendships, they can suddenly change and assume the role of someone in need of help, a vengeful person trying to make up for the abuse suffered.
Generally, people with border-limiting personality disorder have a negative or harmful self-image; however, sometimes they feel that they do not exist because they lack meaningful relationships, care and support.
In addition, people with border-limiting personality disorder generally don’t perform well in unstructured situations, whether at work or at school.
“People with TLP suddenly and radically change their own professional image, goals, values and aspirations. “
People with border-limit personality disorder are very impulsive in at least two areas that are potentially dangerous to themselves: they can play compulsively, spend money irresponsiblely, overeat, abuse toxic substances, have unprotected sex, or drive recklessly. In addition, they often have recurrent suicidal tendencies, behaviors, as well as self-driving behaviors.
A suicide consumed occurs in 10% of these people. Self-harm (cuts, burns, etc. ), threats and suicide attempts are also common, and because of this suicidal tendency, they or one of their loved ones are asking for help.
Self-harm is a response to the perceived threat of separation or rejection. During these experiences, self-mutilation can occur, providing some relief as it reaffirms your ability to feel or redeem feelings of guilt for being a bad or despicable person.
People with borderline personality disorder show emotional instability due to the intensity with which they react to their own emotions, for example, they experience episodes of irritability or anxiety that usually last a few hours and rarely more than a few days, these episodes can reflect The extreme responsiveness of the individual to interpersonal stressors.
These people can also complain about chronic feelings of emptiness and get bored easily, constantly looking for something to do, and they express anger inappropriately and intensely and have great difficulty controlling it.
They usually manifest themselves in a very sarcastic way, with resentments and verbal outbursts. The anger they often feel originates when they realize that a caregiver or lover is careless, distant, indifferent, or intends to abandon them.
During periods of extreme stress, transient paranoid ideas or dissociative symptoms (e. g. depersonalization) may occur. These episodes occur most often in response to real or imaginary abandonment.
Symptoms are transient and last for minutes or hours. The actual return of meaningful attention to the person can return them to ‘normal’.
As in other disorders, there is not yet a clear identification of the causes that allow the development of this type of personality, different risk factors can predispose the person to develop this disorder, these factors can be biological, psychosocial and genetic.
What we do know is that, in terms of the power of genetics, border-limit personality disorder is five times more common in first-degree biological parents. There is also an increased family risk of substance use, antisocial personality disorder and depressive or bipolar disorder.
“Risk factors are biological, psychosocial and genetic. “
Treating this disorder remains a difficult topic for health professionals because of its complexity and the way it manifests itself; emotional instability makes it difficult to treat, which is often abandoned.
The therapeutic approach used today complies with the following guidelines:
Pharmacotherapy should be considered as a complementary intervention in the treatment of TLP and should not be considered as a substitute for the work done between the person and his social support group.
Depending on the symptoms present, the most appropriate medications will be prescribed, which usually aim to alleviate symptoms that occur in emotional and emotional instability, impulsivity, uncontrolled behavior and cognitive difficulties.
Psychotherapeutic interventions combine different modalities: individual and collective, highly structured, multidisciplinary and inclusive programs are being developed.
In this context, cognitive behavioral techniques, social skills training and psychoeducation have proven effective. One type of therapy that also works is Marsha Lineham’s dialectical behavioral therapy.
The expected results with this therapy are
“Dialogue behavioral therapy demonstrates its effectiveness in the treatment of TLP. “
Hospitalization is necessary in cases of self-harm, psychotic and depressive episodes, psychosocial impairment and serious family problems, which are usually short-term hospitalizations intended to control acute symptoms or crisis situations (balance the person to the fullest). episode is controlled, the person returns home under medical supervision and drug treatment.
As we have seen, BPD is a complex disorder, poorly understood and difficult to treat, however, the suffering of these patients and those around them is so great that it is imperative to investigate and implement effective treatments.