My experiences with Borderline Personality Disorder | Varun Joshi | TEDxGeorgiaStateU

TL;DR

Managing hidden symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) with resilience and therapy.

Transcript

foreign I have two friends one of them is kind of crazy he has these intense mood swings that seem to come out of nowhere he gets angry over the smallest of triggers and he has these chaotic unstable relationships and he deals with all this with substance abuse self-harm and constantly considers ending his life and on the other hand I have a friend... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤭 Quiet BPD involves hiding intense BPD symptoms behind a functional facade, leading to unique challenges in diagnosis and treatment.
• ❓ DBT offers significant benefits in managing BPD symptoms, focusing on emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
• 🤭 Reframing perspective and redefining success can help individuals with Quiet BPD navigate setbacks and maintain resilience in their recovery journey.
• 🧑‍⚕️ Mental health progress is gradual, and setbacks are part of the journey towards recovery for individuals with Quiet BPD.
• 🤭 Success in mental health recovery for individuals with Quiet BPD is about resilience, progress, and continuing to move forward despite challenges.
• 🤞 The importance of maintaining hope, staying resilient, and redefining success in the journey of mental health recovery for individuals with Quiet BPD.
• 🤭 Quiet BPD highlights the complexity of mental illness presentations and the importance of tailored treatment approaches like DBT.

Summary

Living with quiet Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) presents unique challenges. This subtype of BPD involves individuals who exhibit all the typical symptoms but keep them hidden. Getting a diagnosis for quiet BPD can be difficult due to its atypical presentation. The good news is that BPD, including the quiet subtype, is highly treatable, with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) being a particularly effective therapy. However, managing the constant inner turmoil and self-hatred can be incredibly challenging, leading to a desire to give up. Overcoming this requires reframing one's perspective, acknowledging progress, and redefining success and mental health recovery.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the difference between two individuals, one functional and one dysregulated?

The difference between these two individuals is that they are not actually two different people. The speaker is referring to themselves and the way they experience living with quiet BPD. Despite appearing functional and calm on the outside, internally, they struggle with intense emotions, unstable relationships, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.

Q: Why is getting a diagnosis for quiet BPD challenging?

Quiet BPD presents an atypical presentation of Borderline Personality Disorder, which often leads to difficulties in obtaining a proper diagnosis. Individuals with quiet BPD may either not be diagnosed due to their ability to function well, or they may receive an incorrect diagnosis and struggle for years trying to understand their true condition.

Q: What challenges does quiet BPD bring compared to other subtypes of BPD?

Quiet BPD has its own set of challenges. The quiet subtype allows individuals to hide their intense emotional turmoil and inner struggles, making it harder for others to recognize their need for support. This can result in delayed or incorrect diagnoses, causing individuals to suffer without targeted treatment for their specific BPD symptoms.

Q: How did the speaker struggle with misdiagnosis before receiving a proper BPD diagnosis?

In the past, the speaker was initially hospitalized and diagnosed with major depressive disorder after a suicide attempt. They tried various treatments for depression and anxiety, but nothing seemed to address the root cause of their mental illness. This led to repeated setbacks and relapses until they came across information about borderline personality disorder and resonated with the symptoms.

Q: What treatment has the speaker found effective for managing quiet BPD?

The speaker highlights Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as a highly successful treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder, including the quiet subtype. Developed by Dr. Marshall Linehan, who herself experienced BPD, DBT specifically targets the challenges individuals with BPD face. It consists of four modules: interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness.

Q: What are the four modules of DBT and how do they help individuals with quiet BPD?

The four modules of DBT are interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness. Interpersonal effectiveness helps individuals with quiet BPD improve their communication skills and manage distress in their relationships. Emotional regulation focuses on teaching strategies to control intense emotions. Distress tolerance helps individuals cope with overwhelming emotions and situations without resorting to harmful behaviors. Mindfulness helps individuals become more aware of negative patterns and beliefs that contribute to their struggles.

Q: How does the speaker use a DBT skill to manage their intense emotions?

The speaker shares an example of using a DBT skill called temperature regulation to manage intense emotions while driving. Instead of turning to harmful behaviors like self-harm or substance abuse, they utilize an ice pack on their forehead. This activates their parasympathetic nervous system, reducing their emotional intensity and allowing them to manage their emotions without acting on them. DBT skills like this provide healthier alternatives for emotional regulation.

Q: What are the statistics on suicide rates for individuals with BPD?

One in ten people with BPD will successfully complete suicide in their lifetime. This highlights the immense difficulty those with BPD face, with the constant inner anguish and desire to end their lives. It emphasizes the importance of finding ways to overcome this desire and keep pushing forward.

Q: How does the speaker manage the constant desire to give up and end things?

The speaker shares two strategies that have helped them persist through the difficult moments. The first is reframing their perspective by focusing on progress rather than setbacks. By looking at how far they have come over the years, they find hope and motivation to keep going. The second strategy is redefining success and mental health recovery. Instead of striving for perfection and symptom-free days, they define success as still being here and still breathing. This redefinition allows them to navigate setbacks and regressions without seeing them as failures.

Q: What final quote does the speaker use to encourage perseverance in mental health recovery?

The speaker shares a quote that helps them during difficult times: "Success is not about never falling down; success is about falling down seven times but getting up for eight." This quote reminds them that setbacks are part of the journey and that resilience is essential in moving forward.

Takeaways

Living with quiet Borderline Personality Disorder presents unique challenges, including a lack of recognition and difficulties in obtaining a diagnosis. However, BPD, including the quiet subtype, is highly treatable, with DBT being a particularly effective therapy. Managing the constant inner turmoil and self-hatred requires reframing perspectives, acknowledging progress, and redefining success and mental health recovery. By persisting and finding motivation through setbacks, individuals with quiet BPD can continue moving forward in their journey to mental wellness.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Quiet BPD refers to individuals who hide intense BPD symptoms like mood swings and self-harm behaviors behind a functional facade.

• Diagnosis challenges exist for those with Quiet BPD, often leading to misdiagnoses and delayed treatment.

• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) offers effective treatment for BPD, focusing on interpersonal effectiveness and emotional regulation.