What are the best treatments for BPD?

Just wanted to know what treatments and medications have helped people? Thanks

I've not been in treatment but these things could help;

Psychotherapy
Hospitalization
Medications
& Self-Help

=
http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/bor...der-treatment/

Info there if you're interested...

Hi sweetie,

I had Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, inpatient hospitalisation and medication.

meds can include, anti-psychotics, anti-depressants and mood stabilisers(for severe cases, like Lithium)

Olanzapine, Lithium and Zoloft really helped me but I have been on over 20 different anti-depressants over the years, so trial and error is really the only way to find out what works for you. In my opinion, a psychiatrist is the only person that should prescribe and monitor psychotropic drugs. GP's are not qualified.

Hope that helps babe......Good luck...

Thanks. I was on zoloft for a little while, it helped me a little bit but i couldnt handle the side effects and it also made me crave alcohol (weird ay!). Im on prozac now but i dont think its doing anything at all and by anything it hasnt even given me a side effect!

Have you talked to your psychiatrist about Seroquel? It is an excellent anti-psychotic/mood stabiliser that has minimal side effects(although everyone is different). It also has a mild anti-depressant effect with an anti-anxiety agent/tranquiliser. HHHmmm craving alcohol? I never needed much prodding in that direction, but drinking not good!!!

Just a thought, sweetie.....

That drug sounds pretty good but the tranquiliser part i dont need. Im tired enough as it is. Well sort of lol, i stay up too late and want to sleep all day but i cant because i have my son to look after.. I should probably go to bed earlier you might say but thats physically impossible for me i just cant do it, i dont know why, even with sleeping pills ill stay awake. Weird dont know why im like it. Maybe i need something to knock me out hehe

Yep the tranquilising should level out after a bit with seroquel.......I mean I was able to work on it, It depends on the dosage too.

Give up on the sleeping pills, they do nothing for me either and I have tried EVERYTHING.......once you start getting real results from therapy and the right meds, you will see a marked difference in sleep patterns.......If I learn any more about sleep hygiene, I am going to SCREAM!! Till this day though, I still observe good sleep habits.......doesn't always work but at least I am trying.....thats the important part, right?

I haven't had a decent nights sleep(where I wake up energised) in 15 years. Hopefully that will change as I get older and sort out this physical stuff.....

Good luck, sweets!!

Yeah i dont think ive had a decent nights sleep in a long time either. Ah well what can you do lol. Thanks again for your help lovely

I have had heaps of therapy.

20 years of trial and error with meds.

Self help.

CBT. (small amount)

Proberly other things too just cant remember, however I found the best was them four.

Therapy combined with meds is in my head fantastic, however it is really hard to get the right combination, dont let that put you off though as it was not all bad over the twenty years as many times meds DID work then for some reason stopped.

Self help is a big one to use, talk yourself out of bad situations or walk away (even if you look odd, walking away is better than how you would look if you stayed and lost it ) I was once talking to the head teacher about my son she said some really stupid things and I nearly lost it however I totaly ignored her and turned my back and walked off ! She must of thought I was totaly mad ! But imagine if I had stayed and punched her in the face ? Son would proberly had to move schools, and the police would of been called. As it is she thinks I am totaly odd, which I am so who cares.

Forcing yourself to do things ie shower get dressed, small things at first and then building on over a long period of time, remember baby steps.

It really is trial and error on most things, but I have done wonders with myself I am proud of the way I have come on, but it is not easy least not for me I found it hard work.

Remember the golden rule........ baby steps.

Taking things really slow and carefully never taking on somthing that is a large project like getting a job moving and going on holiday all in the same week

Drifting now so will stop lol hugs and good luck on your journey !

Thanks for the advice tishie! Much appreciated and it has given me hope

I've found CBT to be more unhelpfel than helpful for me and my recovery.
I find someone telling me what I should htink, instead of what I do think (Which I know I shouldn't think!) Makes me feel very stupid and rejected..perpetuating the cycle!
So far I've only done a tiny bit of DBT and that seem s abit better.
Mindfullness meditation is good.
And of course good old fashioned talking! x

Three words...Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Created by Marsha Linehan. Check out these two websites... behavioraltech dot org and dbtselfhelp dot com


I hope these help. I was in this therapy for several years in a group and in individual therapy. Now almost all of my borderline symptoms are gone. It also helps with other illnesses too. Check it out. Good Luck

I whole heartedly agree with lauru. DBT has changed my life. Not only are my borderline symptoms a whole lot better (not gone just manageable) but it also helped me be able to develop better coping skills for my bipolar disorder. After my 5th time inpatient I did the DBT Intensive Outpatient Program which was Mon-Thurs for 3 hrs for 5 weeks. Then I did another DBT program which lasted six months (once a week) and then repeated the six month program. By the middle of the second six months I was a new person. I was then able to make some of the life choices I was too scared to do before.

Highly recommend DBT!!!

Thanks guys

Antipsychotics, antidepressants and mood stabilizators. Of course: psychotherapy.

Everyone is different. We may share the symptoms that fall under the BPD heading, but we are all separate individuals. As individuals we resond to treatment individually also. And we have different desires. I was on meds for 12 years and was in therapy most of that time too. The I decided to see what I was like without those meds and discontinued taking meds. I researched types of therapies and found what I thought would benefit me--psychodynamic psychotherapy with a psychoanalytic orientation.
And that is what has helped me.
I wish I had found this when I was young and had my life ahead of me, but I'm very grateful for finding it now.

Yeah definiately DBT & i take seroquel which i find excellent and an anti depressent

I'm another advocate for DBT. Also have bipolar 1 so on lots of meds for that, but after about 8 mos. of weekly DBT (& DOING THE HOMEWORK) I've gotten off Abilify (been on it 12 yrs.), decreased my Lamictal dosage by 1/2, off Klonopin & Trazodone (chronic insomnia "cured" but also did EMDR which I think was very beneficial for insomnia).

My meds provider is amazed at the progress I've made. I used to cry at every appt., now I may shed a tear, but I can quickly regain my balance. She said I couldn't do that a yr. ago. I would get so entrenched in my emotions & couldn't find a way out (plus I was over-sensitive to an incredible degree--seeing criticism in everything).

So I am praising DBT all the time as I was in such chronic turmoil I felt like I wasn't "safe" to leave the house. EVERYTHING triggered me. I was a mess of crying, being a "drama queen", suicidal attempts...you name any irrational & over-the-top reaction to anything--that was me.

No longer. I'm coping so much better & regulating my emotions so much better.

Finally I have HOPE & I am 55 yrs. old & had my 1st suicide attempt at 15 so I've been in this awful state for a long time.

I would suggest looking into Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). From what I understand, it is a relatively new approach that is showing a lot of promise. Great job seeking solutions! Yay you!

Thanks for all the responses! Just another quick question, is DBT time consuming? And what exactly do you have to do?

My group is more like a class & meets once a week for an hour w/a Ph.D. therapist who is specially trained in DBT. We have a manual & learn "lessons" in class & have homework each day (mostly just trying to practice the skills we are learning & to write down the occurrences & what went well & what didn't). I think most people do the course for about 1 year. PM me if you want specific info. on how to find a trained DBT therapist in your area.--Suzy

Rachie

Technically DBT teaches you

1. Core Mindfulness Skills
2. Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
3. Emotion regulation skills
4. Distress Tolerance Skills

You will attend a group therapy session once a week and also attend a one on one session. The group therapy sessions last usually 6 months or so and the therapy is ongoing until the T deems to cease it.

A great place to start to get familiar with it is here we have a DBT chat on Tuesdays (I am not sure what time it is for you) given by Rapunzel and it is very very useful. There is also a DBT forum where you can post problems and Rapunzel and others look at them from a DBT perspective and try to work through them with you. I highly recommend these two as a way to get a flavour of it.

For me I spent 10 months in Group Therapy (Democratic Therapeutic Community), It should have last two years but came to an end a little abruptly but that’s another story...

I found for me it was a life line being able to build up trust in the three members of staff in the group. We would meet once a week for a full day and use talking therapies. It wasn’t an easy ride by far and there were up’s and down and coming out of the group so suddenly left me feeling really abandoned and actually I ended up spending three weeks in hospital but not solely because of coming out of therapy.

I learnt about myself, my behaviour and generally about how I thought about other people especially my parents and friends.

I am also on medication now which I feel is working at last, Venlafaxine (150mg) for the AD effect which is still slowly being increased, Topiramate (125mg) as a mood stabiliser which has also stopped me binge eating – to me that is the ultimate miracle drug!! I can’t say it’s working for the moods as of yet but I have seen a slight improvement! Promazine up to 150mg as and when I need it for sleep issues.

I am currently waiting to go back into 121 therapy to continue where group therapy left off, but overall I am so in a better place than I was last year and trust me this year alone has been pure hell...

I am really keen on trying DBT as I have heard positive things about it!

I just wish someone could wave their magic wand and id be cured. Hmm if only it was that easy

I often wish that as well!