Borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be difficult for teenagers and families alike to deal with. When BPD is left untreated or unmanaged, it can, at times, seem to spiral out of control. It is important as the parent to make an effort to be involved in your daughter’s care. While mental health is a personal journey, youth need a strong support system to get better and make a difference in their life. There are many ways to get treatment for your daughter, such as dialectal behavior therapy (DBT). Attending DBT together can strengthen your bond and help to assist your daughter through these struggles with BPD.

Your daughter may need further care, and that is why it is important to find the right care facility or care team for your daughter’s journey to recovery. Clearview offers the ability to be involved in your daughter’s care as she stays with us. While she works toward mental health recovery while trying to alleviate the symptoms of her BPD, it is vital that she feels your support as she does so. One of the ways that this can happen is by participating in her care, such as DBT and other therapies. 

What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) states that “Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition in which a person has long-term patterns of unstable or explosive emotions.” BPD can be very difficult for the person struggling and requires professional intervention and care. Someone with BPD has a hard time regulating their emotions and may find it difficult to return to baseline after a triggering event. Symptoms of BPD may include:

  • A pattern of severe mood changes
  • Problems controlling anger
  • Extreme fear of abandonment
  • A pattern of unstable and intense relationships
  • Struggles with a sense of identity and sense of self
  • Feeling disconnected from reality
  • Feelings of emptiness
  • Self-destructive behaviors such as substance abuse, binge drinking, or unsafe sex
  • Suicidal ideation and self-harming behaviors

BPD is mainly diagnosed in young women. BPD is thought to come from a combination of genetics and environmental causes. Experiencing trauma may lead to a diagnosis of BPD later in life. Treatment is integral in teaching coping skills and self-regulation skills. If left untreated, BPD can cause many issues for the teenager and her family.

How BPD Can Affect the Family

While BPD may cause intense issues for the teenager, it can also affect the family. If your daughter is struggling with the effects of a BPD diagnosis, the whole family unit needs to get her treatment. If your daughter is struggling, it may also affect your family. Many of the behaviors of someone who struggles with BPD may be destructive and affect their own lives and the lives of those around them. As a parent, it can be difficult to watch your daughter struggle. BPD may also cause your daughter to act out behaviorally, which can affect the parent-daughter relationship. 

Knowing the options available for treatment and therapy can help mend your relationship. The goal of treatment is to make a difference in your daughter’s ability to regulate herself. These therapies can also give you the skills to help make a difference in her care at home alongside treatment. Treatment for BPD may include many different avenues, from medication management to active therapeutic intervention. 

Dialectal Behavior Therapy: Attending DBT to Work Through BPD

According to Psychiatry (Edgmont), “Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD). […] Although DBT has many similarities with other cognitive-behavioral approaches, several critical and unique elements must exist for the treatment to constitute DBT.” DBT is a type of therapy done with an individual provider or therapist. Attending DBT aims to teach the individual to accept themselves as they are, build coping skills to regulate their emotions, and improve interpersonal relationships. 

DBT treatment also usually includes working in group sessions to help gain coping skills. Working with a therapist and in groups will help give girls who struggle with BPD the skills they need. These skills will give someone who struggles with BPD tools to use in moments of struggle or moments of crisis. BPD affects relationships, and working through DBT can give your daughter the skills that she needs to make a difference in her life and her behavior.

Attending DBT for the Family and Teen

BPD can affect not just your daughter but your whole family. Clearview believes parents should be active in their daughter’s recovery and treatment. We aim to include parents in therapeutic progress and changes and encourage them to learn to make these differences at home. Attending DBT together can teach you the skills to help assist your daughter when struggling. While BPD can be difficult to handle, DBT will teach both of you the skills to regulate it. This will help heal the relationships in the home and help your daughter heal.

If your daughter is struggling with the effects of BPD, it can feel overwhelming to deal with as a parent. Watching your child struggle is difficult, but working through her behavior can also cause issues at home. BPD may cause emotional or behavioral outbursts that require professional intervention to work through. DBT is a therapy designed to make an integral difference in your daughter’s long-term recovery. DBT works to teach the coping skills necessary to achieve recovery. Attending DBT together will give you the skills to assist your daughter. If your daughter is struggling with the effects of BPD, DBT therapy may help. Contact Clearview Horizon today at 866-584-4788 to learn more.