Timely intervention can prevent BPD traits from developing and intensifying and lead to earlier recovery. It also prevents much of the social and psychological harm that can result from BPD, such as the development of other mental health disorders or patterns of unstable and damaging relationships.
Like adolescents and adults with the disorder, young children also experience extreme mood swings with high and low episodes. However, these episodes can manifest in slightly different ways.
Borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder are often confused – even by clinicians. However, although some of their symptoms are similar, the two disorders are very different. They have different symptoms, causes, and courses of illness – and require different treatments.
When families experience trauma, it changes the way family members relate to one another and affects the family system as a whole. Sometimes, families are able to resolve their trauma, especially if they already have a strong and supportive family system. In other cases, unresolved trauma causes long-term harm to relationships and interactions between family members. This disrupts young people’s emotional and social learning and can cause them to develop unhelpful or harmful thought patterns and behaviours as they attempt to cope with what they experience and observe.
Oman is a high-income country in the Gulf region – and most of its population is young. But, while mental health problems are common among adolescents and young adults, specialist services are lacking. There are very few institutions that offer mental healthcare to young people and many internal and external barriers to seeking help.
Relationships are a core dimension of BPD traits and experiences. Young people with BPD often experience a fear of abandonment that leads to intense, close partnerships and sudden breakups. They may switch between seeing a friend or romantic partner as ‘all good’ and ‘all bad’, creating volatility and instability.
If you know a young person living with BPD, it’s important to find effective and specialist treatment. While this can take some time, it can make a huge difference in the life of a young person and their family. Living with BPD is really hard, but with the right support, young people can recover.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental health disorder that affects the way a young person sees themselves and interacts with the world around them. Young people with BPD often have an unstable or incoherent sense of self, patterns of unstable relationships, and intense emotional reactions. They may experience chronic feelings of emptiness and a fear of abandonment by others.
Dissociative experiences often happen when someone is exposed to a traumatic event. When someone experiences trauma, they may be overwhelmed by stress and detach, in some way, from their experience, emotions, and/or body. People who have experienced acute trauma often describe dissociating from their bodies and watching something happen to themselves.
For adolescents with BPD, early intervention and timely treatment are crucial to prevent long-term harm such as other mental health conditions or problems in school and social life. But research on adolescent treatment for BPD is still relatively limited and many established treatments for adults haven’t been studied among young people with the disorder.
Peer victimisation, often referred to as bullying, is a type of interpersonal violence or harm that takes place between friends or peers. Peer victimisation can involve physical violence, verbal insults, emotional manipulation, or relational harm, such as spreading rumours or social exclusion.
OCD is a serious mental health disorder that can have a big impact on a teenager’s daily life. However, it is treatable, and with the right support, young people can reach full recovery.
When a young person develops an eating problem, seeking professional support is the first step. It’s very difficult for someone to recover from an eating problem on their own, and treatment and support are crucial for both the young person and their family.
