Someone who has a borderline personality disorder (BPD) often does not know they meet the criteria for this challenging mental health disorder. As well, some people who know they have BPD may assume because their life is not entirely derailed by it, that it must not be that serious. In both cases, the person may actually have high-functioning borderline personality disorder. Either way, the individual misses out on valuable psychological care that can help them understand their disease. Montare Behavioral Health of Tucson treats people with a high-functioning borderline personality disorder by teaching them to recognize their symptoms and manage them in an effective manner. With our help, each person can feel better and enjoy better control of their mental health.
What is High-Functioning Borderline Personality Disorder?
Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that falls under the classification of a personality disorder. When left untreated, BPD can cause a person to have difficulty functioning at work and in school, and have trouble connecting with people in personal relationships. Someone with high-functioning borderline personality disorder (also known as quiet borderline personality disorder) may be unaware they have this challenging illness. Even if they do have a diagnosis for it, they may feel as if it’s not that serious because they manage their lives in such a manner that they don’t meet all the criteria for someone with BPD.
In fact, many people with high-functioning borderline personality disorder don’t experience their symptoms every day. They tend to have episodes of them that surface periodically, often in response to triggering people, locations, or situations. This often makes the individual doubt if their situation is “serious” or warrants seeking treatment.
Signs & Symptoms
Someone with high-functioning BPD will experience many of the same symptoms of BPD, but not all of them. Common symptoms include:
- Feeling depressed
- Anxiety
- Feeling shame
- Moodiness
- Isolating
- Avoiding social situations
- Feeling empty and lost
- Feeling overly dependent on people in relationships, including romantic and platonic ones
- Trouble setting healthy boundaries and respecting those set by others
- Self-destructive acts
- Unable to see themselves clearly
- Fear of being rejected
- Self-harm
- Suicidal feelings
High-Functioning Borderline Personality Disorder Test
It’s not always clear if someone has a high-functioning borderline personality disorder. Even some clinicians diagnosing someone’s mental health can have trouble detecting the illness if they don’t have the proper training to recognize it. If you suspect you may have high-functioning BPD, answer the following questions:
- When I feel anger, do I tend to turn it inward, instead of expressing it openly to people?
- Do I engage in self-destructive behaviors when I am angry, upset, or experience other difficult emotions?
- Do I often withdraw from others, which can keep them from knowing how I feel inside?
- Do I have difficulty setting healthy boundaries for myself and don’t respect those set by others?
- Do I often feel depressed, lost, or hopeless?
- Am I often critical of myself to the point of becoming frustrated if I don’t achieve my idea of perfection?
- Do I have frequent mood swings I keep hidden so that others won’t be aware of them?
- Do I become obsessed with an individual and focus my time and energy on them?
- Do I idolize a person for a length of time and then suddenly become upset with them and see them in a negative light?
- Could I be described as a people-pleaser?
- Do I believe people are mad at me or don’t like me even though no evidence supports that?
- Do I self-harm, often in ways that aren’t obvious to those around me?
- Do I fear rejection and work overtime to avoid feeling rejected?
Assessing the High-Functioning Borderline Personality Disorder Test
If you answered “yes” to two or more of the questions, you may need to be assessed to see if you have high-functioning borderline personality disorder. Make sure the person who evaluates you is a mental health professional who is familiar with this disorder.
How Can High-Functioning Borderline Personality Disorder Be Treated?
Two types of therapy prove quite effective in treating high-functioning borderline personality disorder. The first is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT helps people regulate their thoughts and emotions so that they view them through an undistorted lens. It helps replace black-and-white thinking with the ability to see things in a more balanced way.
The other type of therapy is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which was developed specifically to treat BPD. It teaches people to be mindful in each moment and not become overwhelmed by emotions. As a result, the individual feels less stress and emotional distress. They are less likely to engage in self-destructive behaviors and often do better relating to others around them.
Other types of therapy help in treating the overall symptoms of BPD. In addition, prescription medications can help greatly reduce the symptoms.
Contact Our High-Functioning BPD Treatment Center in Arizona
If you have high-functioning borderline personality disorder, you may feel as if there’s no way to improve your mental health. As a matter of fact, effective treatment can help elevate your ability to manage your symptoms. This allows you to feel more in control of all areas of your life despite living with BPD. Montare Behavioral Health of Tucson offers life-changing treatment for people with all forms of BPD in a relaxing residential setting. Our combination of therapy modalities and medications helps you live up to your full potential.
Do you want to find out more about how to manage your borderline personality disorder with our help? Visit our admissions page today for more information.
