Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder in Mission Viejo

Understanding BPD: Symptoms and Diagnosis

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health disorder that has long-lasting impacts on those living with it. BPD is characterized by experiencing difficulties managing or regulating emotions and an inability to control impulses. A BPD diagnosis is a complex process as there isn’t a single medical test or certain sign or symptom that can indicate you are living with BPD. Typically, a BPD diagnosis occurs after undergoing a comprehensive medical interview with the person suspected of living with BPD, family physicians, and previous medical physicians, and can sometimes include interviews with family and friends. The holistic interview process supports mental health practitioners in gaining a clear understanding of the presenting behavioral and mental health concerns in Mission Viejo to determine if BPD is present. 

Recognizing BPD Symptoms

As BPD is a complex mental health condition, there are a range of symptoms that one may experience when they are living with BPD. Some of the most common BPD symptoms are:

• Erratic mood swings
• Having an immense feeling of insecurity or instability
• Experiencing unstable relationships that can alternate between idealization or devaluation
• Impulsive behaviors can lead to dangerous situations or outcomes. Oftentimes, the person doesn’t consider the serious consequences or potential dangers of their actions. This can include engaging in substance use, gambling, overeating, or high-risk sexual behaviors.
• Erratic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment from friends or family
• Distorted self-image can influence relationships, self-esteem, moods, values, and opinions
• Experiencing periods of intense depressed moods, anxiety, or irritability
• Engaging in self-harming behaviors or having suicidal ideations
• Having chronic feelings of emptiness or boredom
• Uncontrollable feelings of anger which can lead to intense feelings of shame or guilt
• Dissociative feelings are where one has “out of body” experiences or feels disconnected from their own body.
• Stress-related paranoid thoughts
• Having intense emotions that can last for hours and, sometimes, days. Moods can also change very quickly without warning.

The Importance of an Accurate Diagnosis

A BPD diagnosis is critical to receive appropriate care and treatment. Due to the symptoms of BPD being broad and often overlapping symptoms of other mental health disorders, it’s important that a certified mental health practitioner gives you a formal BPD diagnosis to create a meaningful treatment plan. Through extensive clinical interviews, a mental health practitioner can gain insight into BPD’s specific symptoms and effects in your life. This clear picture of how BPD fits into your everyday life helps to create a clear picture of the appropriate levels of care, therapy, treatment, and medications, if required, to stabilize the symptoms and impacts of BPD. 

Treatment Options for BPD in Mission Viejo

Mission Viejo residents currently living with BPD have many treatment options available to them that include comprehensive levels of care depending on their specific needs and circumstances. BPD treatment in Mission Viejo includes both BPD counseling options and various options for borderline personality disorder medication that will target the symptoms you’re experiencing and work to mitigate their severity so you can have stability in your moods and thought processes. Therapeutic approaches for treating BPD include counseling and exploring how your thoughts and emotions impact your actions. This is often accomplished through various behavioral therapies that help you identify problematic ways of thinking and feeling and learn effective coping methods to overcome those triggers through healthy skills and coping tools. 

The Role of Counseling in BPD Management in Mission Viejo

An essential component of BPD treatment is participation in specific models of psychotherapy. BPD counseling supports patients in understanding their triggers, behaviors, and emotions while gaining insight and tools for effective coping and managing symptoms and side effects. Common psychotherapy methods utilized in BPD counseling are: 

• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: DBT supports patients in learning how their thoughts and emotions can impact behaviors and actions. DBT teaches coping strategies for emotional regulation and mindfulness that help patients manage strong emotions and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships 
• Mentalization-based therapy: Supports patients in learning how to recognize how their emotions and the emotions of those around them can influence behaviors within themselves or others. 
• Schema-Focused Therapy: Patients can explore how their maladaptive beliefs learned in childhood due to unmet needs have impacted their beliefs, values, and self-image. This method of BPD counseling will challenge those beliefs and support you in developing new ways of thinking and believing. 
• Transference-Focused Therapy: This method of BPD counseling helps patients recognize how their expectations and beliefs developed from previous relationships are impacting the current relationships in their lives. Patients will learn how they relate to others and establish healthy ways to interact and respond in interpersonal relationships.

Medications for Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder medication is often used in conjunction with BPD counseling. Medications offer several benefits for managing symptoms and living a balanced lifestyle with BPD. Some of the benefits include:

• Reducing the severity of symptoms
• Preventing the worsening of symptoms
• Improve overall day-to-day functioning
• Minimize the risk of suicide or self-harming behaviors
• Support the treatment of any co-occurring disorders
• Improve the treatment process and adherence

 Medications that are commonly prescribed for BPD are: 

• Antidepressants such as Wellbutrin, Zoloft, or Prozac
• Antipsychotics such as Abilify, Risperdal, and Seroquel
• Mood stabilizers such as Depakote, Lithium, or Lamictal
• Anti-anxiety medications such as Ativan, Klonopin, Valium, or Xanax

Every person’s experience with medications is unique to you, and the potential side effects you experience can differ depending on some factors. Common side effects from BPD medication include dry mouth, dizziness, weight gain, constipation, or sedation.

Finding the Right Specialists and Treatment Centers in Mission Viejo

Treatment options are available if you’re living with BPD or have a loved one who needs BPD treatment in Mission Viejo. Finding borderline personality disorder specialists in Mission Viejo can help you determine the appropriate treatment methods and care plans to stabilize your symptoms and ensure you live a healthy, balanced lifestyle. After speaking with a mental health professional and receiving a BPD diagnosis, specific referrals can be made to individual therapists and BPD specialists who will provide you with the one-on-one support you need to address your specific symptoms and identify a personalized treatment plan. 

Sometimes, individuals with BPD may struggle to stabilize their emotions and symptoms while remaining in their home environment. A borderline personality disorder treatment center benefits those individuals, allowing them access to 24/7 care and treatment. The ongoing support and treatment help patients focus solely on treatment and recovery. 

Navigating BPD Treatment Centers in Mission Viejo

When you’re looking for borderline personality disorder treatment centers in Mission Viejo, there are key things to look for that are offered within the treatment center to ensure that you receive the appropriate levels of care for your specific circumstances. You want to ensure individualized, one-on-one care from counselors in a treatment center. One question to ask is the ratio of staff to patients. A higher staff-to-patient ratio means you’ll receive the personalized care you need during this transformative process. You’ll also want to know about the types of therapy offered.

There are varying psychotherapy methods, and you must be offered a variety of therapy methods that will support you in healing from past experiences, identifying current triggers, and learning how to overcome triggers and challenges through healthy coping strategies. As psychotherapy is often used with medications, you’ll want to ask about the medical staff on-site, including psychiatrists who can offer you medications and provide psychiatric assessments if needed. 

Examples of Borderline Personality Disorder

Each person living with BPD will have different experiences and symptoms that can result in different effects and behaviors. The following are some borderline personality disorder examples and how living with BPD can appear within a person’s life:

• Having random bouts of anger often appearing as angry outbursts. While angry, people often lash out at loved ones and demonstrate an inability to regulate emotions. 
• A BPD symptom is having self-harming behaviors or suicidal thoughts due to difficulties managing emotions. This can appear as someone engaging in cutting, burning oneself, or expressing desires to end their life. During these depressive moods, people with BPD struggle to seek help for these thoughts and behaviors and regulate their emotions.
• Interpersonal relationships become strained due to the constant fear or perception of abandonment. This can look like people expressing overwhelming love and becoming codependent to reacting in anger when they begin to fear that a loved one is leaving them. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy for Borderline Personality in Mission Viejo

What are the most common symptoms of BPD?

The most common symptoms of BPD are mood swings, difficulties with interpersonal relationships, self-harming behaviors or suicidal thoughts, distorted self-esteem and image, and impulsive behaviors. 

How is BPD diagnosed in Mission Viejo?

A mental health practitioner completes a BPD diagnosis in Mission Viejo. This includes a clinical interview that includes speaking with the patient, physicians, and loved ones. After gathering a holistic view and understanding of the patient and their symptoms, a mental health practitioner can formally diagnose a patient with BPD. 

Are there specialized BPD treatment centers in Mission Viejo?

Mission Viejo has many treatment centers that are solely focused on mental health treatment. These treatment centers, including Alter Behavioral Health, have mental health practitioners trained and certified to provide BPD treatment. 

How does counseling help those with Borderline Personality Disorder?

Counseling is essential in BPD treatment as it helps patients explore and identify how BPD has impacted their emotions, thoughts, and actions. Through therapeutic methods, patients are provided with effective tools and self-help strategies to regulate their emotions and manage impulsive behaviors. 

What medications are commonly prescribed for BPD?

BPD medications are often used in BPD treatment to help minimize the severity of your symptoms and help manage your emotions and behaviors. Commonly used BPD medications are antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, anti-psychotics, and mood stabilizers. 

How do I choose the right BPD specialist in Mission Viejo?

If you’re seeking a BPD specialist in Mission Viejo, there are several licensed and certified therapists and counselors to choose from for individual therapy support. After receiving a BPD diagnosis, speak with your mental health practitioners or physician to find the appropriate specialist with treatment methods ideal for you and your personal growth. 

Are there support groups in Mission Viejo for those with BPD>

Yes, Mission Viejo has several mental health support groups, including specific groups for BPD. If you’re seeking support from peers experiencing similar challenges and life experiences living with BPD, visit the National Institute of Mental Health for BPD to find support groups within the Mission Viejo area.