Why Borderline Personality Disorder and Trauma Are Tightly Linked

Even to this day, borderline personality disorder still isn’t well understood. Patients dealing with BPD are often treated poorly, are misunderstood, and are overall dismissed by the mental health institutions that should be providing them with help. It’s only been recently unveiled that borderline personality disorder and trauma are closely linked together, making the situation even more complicated for the patient dealing with both. Here is how borderline personality disorder and trauma are linked together, and what can be done to help treat both conditions.

The Link Between BPD And Trauma

Although there is no singular BPD test to determine the differences between it and trauma, science has demonstrated at the two are intricately linked together. Borderline personality disorder shares a few overlapping symptoms with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, including self-destructive behaviours, unstable interpersonal relationships, emotional reactivity, and drastic changes in personality and self-image. cPTSD can occur at any point in a person’s life, but studies have shown that those with borderline personality disorder then to experience complex trauma in childhood.

Large Traumas

Borderline personality disorder can arise from what are called“large traumas” during a person’s childhood. These large traumas can include sexual assault, life-threatening accidents, or witnessing a traumatic death, to name a few. These individuals who go on to develop BPD can experience long-term “small traumas” that occur throughout the rest of their life that can still have a huge impact on them but may not warrant an official PTSD diagnosis.

The Effect OF Small Traumas

For the person living with BPD, any environment that devalues or invalidates them can count asa small trauma. These environments can scar an individual to the point that they lack the ability to internally validate themselves. As a result, they can have problems learning how to cooperate and form relationships with other people.

It’s the result of these continued small traumas that can lead a person to become destabilized. What can help is reframing the narrative of the individual; instead of focusing on something being wrong with them, it’s much more positive to say that something happened to them. By taking on this perspective, the individual can learn to resolve these traumas and learn to cope with the burdens that come with a diagnosis of BPD.

The Treatment of BPD

DBT, also known as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, is the main form of treatment for BPD. It helps the individual learn to tolerate the distress by focusing on being mindful and in the present. They can learn healthy coping skills to keep stress and emotions in check, and to also develop healthy or improve already-existing interpersonal relationships.

Borderline personality disorder is not an easy condition for anyone to live with, and it’s quite troubling that most people with this condition are written off for behaviour they cannot control. If you or someone you know may be dealing with borderline personality disorder, it’s important to have a conversation with a mental health professional to see what your options are. Getting help is better than dealing with this debilitating mental disorder alone.