Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that is categorized by ongoing patterns of varying moods, impulsive behaviors, suicidal thoughts and poor self-image. These symptoms have the effect of often damaging inter-personal relationships sometimes due to the impulsive actions. People with borderline personality disorder also have episodes of depression, anxiety and anger that can last for hours and even days People with borderline personality disorder thus experience mood swings as they also display uncertainty in how they perceive themselves and their role in the world. As a result, their values and interests vary with time. Dr. Haley Peckham was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder over 20 years ago and now works as mental health nurse(Cansdale, 2017). According to Dr. Haley Peckham, her borderline personality disorder was as a result of childhood trauma as she could not be afforded the normal emotional care that is usually given to children. In her case, Haley Peckham had a caregiver who had a mental illness something that made her very scared. From the research conducted on the causes of BPD, it is understood that it is mostly caused by a combination of biological and environmental factors for instance emotional trauma or abuse (Drapeau&Korner, 2013). Since early relationships are very crucial in how we see ourselves, it is important to ensure that as a child one is given the best emotional care and support. This is because it is this invisible privilege that gives an individual the feeling worthy of love. Dr. Pechkam’s disorder revealed itself through self-harm. Before hurting herself she would feel under pressure but after cutting herself she would feel calm and composed ready to take on the world again. Harming herself left her with multiple self-inflicted scars along her arms which are now a testament to how she struggled with borderline personality disorder(Cansdale, 2017).
Borderline personality disorder has a variety of symptoms which vary from one person to another. It has also been established that women are more likely to have this disorder more than men (Krawitz&Batcheler, 2010). However, some of the common symptoms include, having an unstable or distorted sense of self, feelings of isolation, a pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships and identity disturbance among others. Haley started treatment after working with different orphanages and hospitals since she sought professional help from a psychotherapist. Psychotherapy is considered the first-line treatment for people with borderline personality disorder. This therapy can be a one-on-one treatment or group based. In Haley’s case, the therapist used a one-on-one treatment basis as he made her feel first. This was important for Haley since by doing so, Haley discovered that the relationship was one that she could take her emotions to and the therapist could help her with them. This type of therapy is called dialectical behavior therapy (Krawitz&Batcheler, 2010). In this type of therapy, the therapist brings the concepts of mindfulness and acceptance of the current situation and emotional state. Because the benefits of medications are unclear, medications are not used as the primary treatment for borderline personality disorder. However, in some cases medications are prescribed in to treat certain symptoms such mood swings and depression (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Borderline Personality Disorder, 2014). The applicability of the Act in borderline personality disorder requires that a patient demonstrates a disturbance or impairment that affects the normal functioning of the brain.
In general borderline personality disorder is a condition marked by difficulties in regulating emotion. As a result, this difficulty leads to severe impulsivity, stormy personal relationships and mood swings. Individuals with borderline personality disorder may have several attempts to avoid situations of abandonment, either real or imagined. Ultimately, it is marked by the level of emotional turmoil it causes. Individuals who have it experience self-harming acts, suicide threats and attempts are also common. For instance in the case of Haley, her emotions felt intense for long periods of time and it was difficult for her to return to a stable baseline after an emotional event unless she cut herself. By inflicting self-harm, Haley would feel calm again and ready to carry on. As shown by treatment, psychotherapy is among the first-line treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder. For Haley, her therapist provided one-on-one treatment in the therapist-led sessions in which she was taught how to interact with others and how to effectively express herself. As shown by evidence-based research, it is important for borderline personality disorder patients to trust their therapists since the innate nature of this disorder makes it difficult for patients to maintain a trusting and comfortable bond with their therapist. For Haley, her therapist managed to forge a safe and trustworthy relationship. One which she could take her emotions to and he would help her with them. Haley says the therapist gave her time to discover that she did not need to self-harm anymore. This case proves that our experiences largely affect our brains and that includes things like epigenetics and also neurogenesis.
The main findings of this research start from possible causes of borderline personality disorder. As seen, it mostly results from a combination of biological and environmental factors such as abuse or emotional trauma. This disorder manifests itself differently among the patients. The proposed methods of treatment, especially psychotherapy which is the first-line treatment, has shown that it is very effective(Comer, 2015). This research impacts the field of society in a variety of ways for instance, it encourages people with such a disorder to seek professional advice rather than being ashamed. Since society’s provides a lot of traumatic life events such as abandonment, abuse or even adversity during childhood, this research can be used to encourage individuals with this disorder to seek therapy as there is always people ready to offer assistance. This research can also be used to teach parents the adverse effects that childhood trauma could have in a person’s life if they are not afforded the level of emotional care that is usually given to children. However, since there are a number of events that may cause borderline personality disorder, this research shows that this disorder can be treated and it is up to the patient to seek medical assistance. Thus, this research can also be used to create awareness of the adverse effects brought by this disorder while encouraging people with such symptoms to sought therapy. By doing so, patients with this type of disorder are determined to start building relationships where they feel safe and therefore can establish trust. This is usually the most difficult phase of seeking treatment since most of the patients feel ashamed either due to the detrimental symptoms of this disorder.
What inspired me to choose this case is how Dr. Hayley Peckham decided that she would no longer hide her scars on her arms as a testament to her struggle with Borderline personality disorder. After years of therapy, Dr. Haley Peckham studied molecular neuroscience in which she attained a PhD and now works as mental health nurse. The case of Dr. Haley is an inspiration since it shows how she broke the stigma and made her life a success in spite of her initial condition. Since many people who have this disorder tend to blame themselves the case of Dr. Haley can be used to make them think otherwise. The full recovery of Dr. Haley can also be used to inspire and encourage people with disorder to come forward and seek therapy instead of feeling ashamed.
In conclusion, borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that is characterized by extreme emotional reactions. These extreme emotional reactions cause a great deal of problems in a person’s life even though it feels justified to the person experiencing them. As a result the associated symptoms of borderline personality disorder make it difficult for people to form and maintain healthy relationships. Although borderline personality disorder’s symptoms vary from person to person, it is important that people with this disorder receive specialized treatment from a trained provider. Once treatment commences, it is important for people with borderline personality disorder to understand that there are many factors that may affect the length of time it will take for symptoms to improve and they should therefore remain patient so that they can receive appropriate care and support during the treatment period.