Atlanta Mental Health Services
Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment Centers
Borderline personality disorder is a mental health condition that can have a dramatic negative impact on a person’s life. It can also cause behaviors that make it difficult for an individual’s loved ones to understand what they are going through or how they can help.
At New View Wellness, our borderline personality disorder treatment centers can be an ideal option for many people who have this disorder to learn, heal, and grow.
Learn more about our outpatient mental health programs or call us now at 866-456-1135.
What is Borderline Personality Disorder?
The defining characteristics of borderline personality disorder (BPD) are instability and impulsivity. These qualities will affect how a person acts, relates to others, and views themselves.
People who have borderline personality disorder often have a history of intense but brief relationships. They may develop an overwhelming fear that their friends or romantic partners are going to abandon them, even when there is no credible evidence to suggest that this is about to occur.
This fear of abandonment can even extend to behaviors that are as seemingly harmless as postponing plans or needing to set a different time to meet. In cases like these, the person who has BPD may assume that this is an initial act that will culminate in abandonment. They may also believe that they deserve to be abandoned or rejected due to some inherent flaw in their character or personality.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that the lifetime rate of borderline personality disorder among adults in the United States is about 1.4%. Other sources have found that, among people who are receiving inpatient or residential mental health services, the BPD rate is about 20%.
About three of every four people who are diagnosed with BPD are women. However, the difference in prevalence of BPD among men and women may not be as significant as this statistic suggests. NAMI notes that researchers believe that many men who exhibit signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder are misdiagnosed with either depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The potential impact of untreated BPD can be devastating. But when someone gets appropriate care for borderline personality disorder, they can learn to manage their symptoms and exert greater control over their thoughts, feelings, reactions, and behaviors.
What to Expect at our Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment Centers
When you are trying to find treatment for borderline personality disorder, you should try to identify the center whose services align most closely with your needs and expectations. Asking questions such as the following can help you find the place that’s right for you:
- What levels of care do you offer?
- How will you decide which level or levels of care are right for me?
- What are the qualifications of the professionals who provide care at your center?
- What types of therapy do you offer?
- Can you talk to me, in general, about how you usually treat someone who has borderline personality disorder?
- How long will I need to remain in treatment?
- Do you offer discharge planning or other aftercare services?
How BPD is Treated
Borderline personality disorder is usually treated with psychotherapy. Sometimes, prescription medication may also be included in a person’s treatment for borderline personality disorder.
Two of the most effective forms of therapy for BPD are cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT):
- CBT helps people identify non-productive thought patterns and incorrect assumptions about themselves, with the goal of replacing them with healthier ways of thinking and behaving.
- DBT focuses on skills development in several areas, including mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
In some cases, treatment for borderline personality disorder may include mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, or other prescription medications as needed.
Signs and Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder
As noted earlier on this page, the dominant traits of borderline personality disorder are impulsivity and instability. These traits can cause a person to exhibit the following signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder:
- Intense fear of being rejected or abandoned
- Engaging in frantic behaviors in an attempt to forestall this feared rejection or abandonment
- A history of brief, dysfunctional relationships that involve initial bursts of adoration, followed by eventual indifference
- Unstable self-image or sense of self
- Impulsivity in at least two of the following potentially dangerous areas: spending, gambling, binge eating, substance abuse, driving recklessly, and sex
- Cutting or engaging in other forms of self-harm or self-injury
- Frequently indicating that they may attempt suicide
- Dramatic mood swings
- Persistent sense of emotional emptiness
- Outbursts of intense and inappropriate anger
- Paranoid ideation or dissociation
The Impact of Untreated Borderline Personality Disorder
A person who needs, but does not receive, treatment for borderline personality disorder may have an increased risk for many negative effects, including the following:
- Difficulty forming and maintaining healthy relationships
- Problems finding and keeping a job
- Financial problems, if they engage in impulsive spending or gambling
- Physical injuries as a result of reckless driving
- Exposure to HIV and hepatitis due to substance abuse or unsafe sex
- Addiction
- Onset of co-occurring mental health disorders
- Social withdrawal and isolation
- Persistent suicidal ideation
- Suicidal behaviors
Experts estimate that about one of every 10 people who has borderline personality disorder will die by suicide. This rate is significantly higher than the suicide rate among the general public.
Suicide and the other possible negative effects of borderline personality disorder indicate the importance of receiving proper care at a reputable treatment center. For example, when someone receives treatment for borderline personality disorder at New View Wellness, they can make sustained progress toward improved health and a much more hopeful future.
Levels of Care at our Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment Centers
At New View Wellness in Atlanta, Georgia, adults can receive treatment for borderline personality disorder and many other mental health concerns at the following levels of care:
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP): Our PHP features full days of treatment, five days per week. This is similar to a residential program, but when you are in our PHP, you only need to be at our facility when treatment is in session. During the evenings and on the weekends, you can spend time at home or in an alternative supported residence.
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP): Our IOP offers partial days of treatment. You may work with the members of your team to determine how many days you should attend sessions. Some people step down to our IOP after completing treatment for borderline personality disorder at the PHP level, while other enter treatment though this program.
- Virtual IOP for Mental Health: Our virtual IOP offers the same quality and scope of services as our traditional IOP does, but all participants attend sessions via an online meeting platform. This means that you can receive quality IOP treatment for borderline personality disorder from the safety and comfort of your home.
Find Healing at Our Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment Centers
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