Symptoms of BPD

Are you thinking of getting help from a borderline personality disorder therapist? Like many other mental health conditions, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is something that many people have heard about at some point. However, few know how to identify it.

BPD is a condition that affects the way you think about yourself and others in your life. It affects people in different ways, but it has the potential to impact your relationships and behaviour negatively. But how do you know you have BPD?

Common Signs of BPD

BPD symptoms can differ for everyone, but common signs include rapid changes in self-image and an unhealthy pattern of unstable relationships. This condition can cause unpredictable shifts in your values. You might be hyperfocused on one aspect of your personality before suddenly feeling like you're a villain or non-existent.

That ultimately affects your relationships with others. One common characteristic of BPD is intense relationship changes with friends, partners and families. For example, you might idealize someone before believing they don't care about you.

A nagging fear of abandonment is another problem. Many individuals with BPD worry about people leaving or rejecting them. That fear is usually imagined and irrational, but it affects one's behaviour. It can ultimately cause paranoia and a noticeable disconnect from reality.

In some cases, BPD can also cause mood swings covering a spectrum of emotions. They can last for several days, forcing you through intense feelings of happiness, shame, anxiety and more. Intense anger and frequently losing one's temper are also common with BPD.

BPD can also cause you to participate in risky behaviours. That can include gambling, frivolous spending, binge eating, drugs, etc. Continuously feeling empty may also cause some individuals to go through suicidal thoughts and serious signs of depression.

Getting Help

Consider seeing a borderline personality disorder therapist if you have any of these symptoms. There are many ways to treat and manage BPD, but you must reach out to professionals. Treating BPD is not a quick fix, but a therapist can help you live a much healthier life.

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Is Exposure Therapy Good for Someone Who Struggles with Agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia refers to a fear of public spaces. It's a deep-rooted issue that disproportionally affects women. Generally, individuals with agoraphobia will experience fears and anxieties. Many will also suffer panic attacks, creating negative ties to a specific location.

This disorder can be debilitating and more complex than most realize. It often stems from bad experiences in the past, and the intuitive coping mechanisms people use only worsen it.

A counsellor for agoraphobia can use many treatments to help individuals overcome their fears. But is exposure therapy a good choice?

Understanding Exposure Therapy and Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia often pushes people to avoid scenarios that trigger anxiety. Exposure might seem counterintuitive, but it can make a significant difference.

It works so well because it challenges one's gut reaction. If you have agoraphobia, you may attempt to overcome your fears and purposely put yourself in situations that could trigger anxieties. It's impossible to avoid public spaces entirely. But whenever you start to feel those discomforts creep up, you may quickly escape the situation to prevent physical symptoms. For example, it's common for people to remove themselves from a problem to avoid panic attacks.

However, that reactionary escape only reinforces fear. Instead of allowing yourself to calm down and focus on the mental aspects of agoraphobia, you leave. That location then becomes a trigger you'll likely avoid in the future.

Exposure therapy is a great way to challenge those triggers. People who see a counsellor for agoraphobia may get the opportunity to get interoceptive exposure therapy. The treatment is about recreating feared experiences.

Therapists can simulate a triggering environment before helping you step into the real thing. The goal is to teach you how to cope and to shift your perspective on the situation. Mental health experts often combine exposure therapy with cognitive behavioural therapy to help you understand why those adverse reactions occur. By changing your view on the situation, you can learn to challenge your emotional response and overcome your fears.

Treating agoraphobia takes time and work, but it's a worthy investment into your mental well-being that can improve your life.

Read a similar article about antisocial personality disorder counsellor here at this page.