Mental health is a condition often not taken seriously or talked about enough. Even though mental health can result in serious health problems many do not take serious measures to control their mental struggles. Mental health is as serious as terminal illnesses, in recent years the topic of mental health has been discussed more openly and taken more seriously, many social media platforms are opening doors for those who desire to expand their knowledge of the topic or those who suffer from mental disorders to talk comfortably about their struggles and feel accepted and understood.
Mental health disorders can affect a person’s personality, mood, self-esteem, and relationships; one of those disorders is called borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder is a mental disorder that distorts the way you view yourself, your thoughts, and others, which results in everyday struggles in the patient’s life and behavior. The struggles of patients with this disorder are long, they suffer from unstable emotions and behavior, they have a hard time maintaining relationships and they have a very unstable self-image. Due to borderline personality disorder, the patient suffers from a severe fear of being abandoned and being left alone, they desire to have those they love around them but at the same time their unstable behavior may push them away from the patients because of that they are always paranoid when it comes to relationships and often close themselves off from people to avoid the pain of abandonment and loss.
Patients that suffer from borderline personality disorder have quite impulsive behavior, when they are suffering from unstable emotions they usually start acting in an impulsive and manic way, this impulsive behavior of patients with borderline personality disorder can lead to addictions like alcoholism and substance abuse, they also suffer from suicidal thoughts and behavior, patients that suffer from such thoughts and behavior have a higher death rate, the death rate by suicide is as high as 10% for patients with this personality disorder.
Borderline personality disorder usually develops during the young adult years. The cause of borderline personality disorder can differ from each patient, the most common cause is events during the patient’s life that caused the patient to be traumatized and develop the disorder such as difficult childhood or teenage years, genetically inherited, brain abnormality usually found in emotional regulations and behavior regulations.
Patients that suffer from borderline personality disorder are very emotionally unstable and sadly that damages a huge part of their life such as jobs, education, legal complications that can lead the patient to be jailed due to their impulsive behavior, stressful friendships, and relationships, self-harm, being stuck in an abusive environment, risky decision making, and multiple suicide attempts or successful suicide attempts. Along with this mental disorder, other mental disorders can develop, such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety and panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, hyperactivity disorder, and others.
Often, patients with borderline personality disorder feel like they will never have stability in their lives, this can lead those suffering from this mental disorder to isolate themselves completely to avoid feeling like a burden to those around them, the environment of being alone and isolated only causes further damage to the patient but sometimes it feels like the only right decision for them and the ones they care about.
Patients with borderline personality disorder should be treated gently but without making the patient feel like the odd one out, therefore, all those who suffer from borderline personality disorder need just a little bit of understanding from those around them; sometimes it is difficult for people to deal with someone with this personality disorder, but it is even ten times harder for the patient to deal with this inner mental war happening inside of them daily.
Thankfully with all the awareness and discussions about mental health issues many people are now careful and understanding, the growing support and platforms for discussion are making the world a little safer and more comfortable for those with mental health issues, many more mental health suffers are beginning to realize asking for help is not shameful and embarrassing but rather a lifesaving opportunity.
Luna Abd Elrazaq.
References
- Paris, Joel. “Suicidality in Borderline Personality Disorder.” Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) vol. 55,6 223. 28 May. 2019, doi:10.3390/medicina55060223
