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Guest Blog Post: College Life and Borderline Personality Disorder

This is a guest post from the blog Never Ending Battle. Kimberly writes often about her struggles with her different mental illnesses including Borderline Personality Disorder and how they can affect different areas of life. Kimberly also struggles with Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This specific post details the struggles that can take place for people who have BPD while going through higher education.

college

College, also called University in some countries, is a time of life that is one of self-discovery and self-definition. Typically it happens between the ages of 18 and 22, plus or minus a year or two depending on the person. It is a time where people make friends that last them a lifetime and oftentimes meet the person that they will one day marry. College is filled with so many new experiences from college parties, fraternities/sororities, more difficult classes, and a whole lot more independence. What usually accompanies all of these things? Stress, and lots of it. College can be the best time of someone’s life.

But for someone who has Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD, college can be a tumultuous time of their life. Borderline Personality Disorder is defined in the DSM as “a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity, beginning in early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

  1. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
  2. A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation
  3. Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self
  4. Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., substance abuse, binge eating, and reckless driving)
  5. Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior
  6. Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)
  7. Chronic feelings of emptiness
  8. Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)
  9. Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms”

 

Borderline personality disorder generally has traits that appear during adolescence but the actual diagnosis cannot be made until someone reaches the age of 18, which usually is the age of a college age student.

 

One thing to keep in mind with the diagnosis with BPD is that someone needs to have 5 of the 9 symptoms to be diagnosed. There are a total of 256 combinations of the symptoms that can be present for the diagnosis to be made so all of the following suggestions may not be applicable to every person with BPD.

What does this mean for a college student struggling with BPD?

 

1) Relationships look different. This is the hallmark of BPD. For some, it is easy to make friends while for others it is difficult to make friends. For almost all, it is extremely difficult to keep friends. Relationships are extremely rocky in nature because of the kind of thinking that comes with it and the patterns that follow the thinking. One characteristic thinking pattern is all-or-nothing thinking also known as black or white thinking. This includes the extremes of idealization and devaluation. This means that one day someone can be put on a pedestal and the moment they do something wrong, they are the worst person ever. Another way this may happen is that when someone is in the idealization stage, all faults may be overlooked until something becomes so obvious that it cannot be and the flip to devaluation occurs. It may also occur with devaluation. Someone may view someone in such a negative light that nothing positive that they do can change the way they view them. What this leads to is tumultuous relationships. Tumultuous relationships can add extra stress to those who struggle with BPD, making college even more stressful. However, they crave human connection and need it.

 

2) Self-image related situations. People who have BPD struggle with maintaining a stable self-image or sense of self. This can mean that college students frequently change majors as their interests change frequently as their sense of self changes. For example, one semester they may study education because they want to be a teacher. Then they decide they want to study business. Then they decide they want to be a writer. The frequent change of majors is often related to the fact that they don’t know what they are truly interested in and don’t have a stable sense of who they really are. Another aspect of self-image related situations is perfectionism or apathy. Again, it is usually in extremes. They can be either perfectionistic, high achievers in their studies and do exceedingly well, or be apathetic and have poor performance. They can also go back and forth between the two.

 

3) They have to be careful. One symptom of BPD is impulsivity. This can include substance abuse (including alcohol and drugs), over-spending, driving recklessly, or being promiscuous. While it may be okay for some to have a few drinks every now and again, some people who have BPD cannot do that. It can lead to a pattern of impulsivity that can become dangerous quickly.

 

4) They need extra support. This is the most important. Getting treatment for BPD is so important and the earlier the treatment begins, the better. Having support from peers is critical to making it through college and being successful. It is also sometimes a key aspect in getting treatment. Many times students with BPD are afraid to seek treatment because of the stigma out there that exists but are more inclined to go if someone goes with them.

So what can you do as a college student or a college professor who knows someone struggling with BPD?

can-you

1) Offer support. This can come in a variety of ways. This can mean going out to lunch or coffee with them. This can mean getting together to study with them. This can mean just lending a listening ear when they are struggling.

 

2) Offer to go with them when they do seek treatment. This can be critical to them feeling more comfortable when it comes to seeking treatment and following through with treatment.

 

3) Be consistent. This is probably the most important thing when connecting with someone who has BPD. Part of having BPD means intense fear of real or imagined abandonment and if someone is not consistent in their relationship, it can be mistaken as abandonment which can lead to catastrophic consequences. This does not mean it is not all on one person either. It does not mean being there every moment of every day. It just means not randomly dropping out for periods of time without letting them know what is going on.

 

4) Take care of yourself. There is the saying on airplanes that one must “put on your own oxygen mask before helping someone else”. This applies to life in many ways. You must take care of yourself and not run yourself down into the ground to help someone else because it will only make the situation worse. So make sure your oxygen mask is on first.

Again, please note that all of these do not apply to every person with BPD as no one with BPD looks the same.

 hope
The one thing that should be kept in mind through all of this: There is hope, no matter the diagnosis or the situation and help is available after a diagnosis.

 

Overall, BPD can make college more difficult and more complicated, but it does not have to take away the rewarding experience that it can be. College can be a fun and exciting period in life for anybody. It can be a challenging experience for anybody. The same applies for people with BPD.
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Republished with permission from Never Ending Battle
10 Comments
  1. If you can’t get the individual to leave the house, how do you get them the help or support that they need? We tried in home therapy, but they would not communicate with the therapist. After 3 months, they stopped the visits. Any ideas would be appreciated.
    Thank you,
    Beth Griffith

    • Hello Beth. What I have learned in my experience with BPD myself and seeing it in others is that it takes the person wanting to get help to get better. Sometimes that means someone has to hit rock bottom before they will honestly seek help. I know that is what took place for me. Therapy is the go to treatment for BPD, especially DBT therapy (dialectical behavioral therapy) but medications can help manage certain symptoms. But ultimately it is up to the person with BPD to decide when they want help. You can’t control another human being so you must wait for things to get on their terms before assisting them with getting help. I hope this helps!

  2. Brilliant post and observations…thank you so very much for sharing your insight and wisdom. I believe I have harboured at least 6-7 of the nine ‘criteria’ since late adolescence…am now 56 years old…and wonder if and how it is possible to become diagnosed as BPD. My psychiatrist for long-duration anorexia recently told me that he did not ‘want’ to give me the diagnosis, as he did not wish for me to perceive myself, or BE perceived as my illness…but is there not strength and power in using diagnosis as a springboard for self-knowledge and self-help…leading to forward-movement? I live in France, so perhaps the stigma of diagnosis is more frowned upon? He dismissed my inquiry as being ‘very American’…that our culture always wants/needs to have a label or niche for problematic personality disorders…What do you think? Any enlightenment you could offer to me would be oh so very appreciated! Thank you for your well-written, well thought-out article!

    • Hello Donna. In response to your question, the diagnosis of BPD comes only after one has worked with a psychiatrist for a period of time. It took many years for me to get the official BPD diagnosis as I didn’t have consistent therapists and psychiatrists. I was told many times that I had the traits of BPD but wasn’t given the full blown diagnosis until I spent 6 weeks in a psychiatric hospital with a doctor constantly observing me and my actions and reactions to my environment. The reason why it is so difficult to be diagnosed with it is because of how much stigma comes with it. BPD is one of the most stigmatized disorders out there and there are many therapists and psychiatrists who just refuse to treat patients with BPD because they are seen as “too difficult” or “impossible to treat”. Of course, these are not true but that is the stigma that comes with the diagnosis. That is often why it takes so long to get the diagnosis. Another issue might be the culture you live in as well. Living in France could be a contributor to the fact that you won’t get a diagnosis right away. Overall, it comes down to a decent period of time of observation before the diagnosis can be made.

  3. Hello friends,
    I hv been on medication for Depression since 2003 .
    The medicines hv become an inevitable Part of my life.
    I too hv experienced the ‘choke ‘ that is felt while going through this delirium.
    Leave Enjoy factor, it was difficult for me to wake up for college. I felt lonely in crowd. Few of my classmates were trying to befriend me, I responded ..But unknowingly my behavior would rip them apart from me ..
    I either became too involved or aloof ..The ‘imaginary ‘ and Repetitive thoughts were No less Active !
    It was a Horrible Experience.
    I dint hv a ‘College life ‘..as other girls and boys.
    It was….is too painful to think of those days .

  4. I need a good place for BPD treatment in NY I can’t find myself
    If you know please help me

  5. Hi!
    Reading about BPD, I realised that I have some symptomes. I am 58, artist, housewife, but earning some money by selling my artworks… There were some points in my life when I made wrong ddissisions. I quited university at the end of last year, last exam. But now I am an artist (without degree) and it is my meaning in life, I know it. Now I am seeing some pattern in my child (except the last part). He wanted to quit secondary school, having crisis being away from home, but continued his education after few years. Then he quited an Art University on the fourth year. He is two years from then, diagnosed with some symptomes of depression and low impulse control, unimployed, not wanting to do anything concernig art (he has a univ. bacc. educ. art. degree.). Having no job and taking money from grandparents and from us, parents is not doing good to his self-respect. He often spends a lot of money on clouds, he smashed in a moment of rage his mobile phone, pretty expencive one…it happened twice in the past). He is very angry when I try to contact with him, not speaking to me except about some simple issues, like he picked some mushrooms when taking a walk in the hill (he walks every day). He is very sensibile, withdrawn, often alone, playing games on comp or something in his room… He is so intelligente and gifted, but not using any of his skills and talents. He doesnot want to hear anything related to art anymore. How to help him to find a job? We are old parents and we are concerned how he would live when my husband goes to retirement. How will he live when we die.. He doesnt want to take any of my suggestions, going to therapy, going back to school, finding a job concerning arts..
    Thank you for reading this and excuse me for my poor English.
    Snjeza

  6. This post is very easy to read and understand without leaving any details out. Great work! Thanks for sharing this valuable and helpful article.

  7. Thank you for sharing this informative piece that can help everyone that needs to know this. Especially talking about Borderline Personality Disorder, which is very challenging to those suffering from it and their family. Feeding this knowledge to them is a big help.

  8. It really solve some issues after reading this post, good keep it up

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