While Borderline Personality Disorder is a very controversial diagnosis, living with this diagnosis can be very challenging. Many people dating with borderline personality disorder will cycle between different moods and personality states. Managing BPD often takes the form of counselling with both outpatient and inpatient programs being very successful. Medication studies have not born any conclusive evidence that it can be managed pharmaceutically.
The participation of family and friends with a stable counselling program has shown good results, one dating with borderline personality disorder needs a wide-based support platform from which to operate. A high level of stability in lifestyle is essential for the development and continuation of healthy relationships with a partner.
Borderline personality disorder dating requires sufficient understanding by both the individual with the disorder and the person the sufferer is dating. With a well-developed and orderly plan, BPD dating can lead to healthy lifelong relationships. An individual with BPD will most likely have a history of destructive and dysfunctional relationships. Many have had a very long list of strained encounters with close friends if they are able to maintain friendships at all. Many times family members will become unable to deal with the unpredictable outburst and ongoing drama.
Let’s take a closer look at what the signs and symptoms of an individual functioning with BPD looks like. The individual with borderline personality disorder will usually have very good early success in dating relationships. They can go long periods of time without any destructive episodes. Just like with any relationship, they move through the early stages of a relationship without any significant hitches.
BPD will cause increasingly larger issues over time without genuine honesty and a great group of dedicated and supportive individuals. The early stage will usually involve an enormous amount of interpersonal communication. An individual suffering with BPD will easily allow their partner to be the centre of their world, to the exclusion of all others. Including other family members and friends, they may also demand that their partners distance themselves from their own family members and friends. To break these negative cycles one needs to acknowledge the disorder and develop a treatment plan.
Moving on from the intense development of what may appear to be the perfect partner the individual with BPD will become increasingly more needy and clingy. The increasing isolation from mutual friends and family members dating with borderline personality disorder can lead to verbal assaults and cycling between needy behaviour and out-of-control rage. Most relationships will end at this development, but many may have grown up in dysfunctional families and may tolerate this for an extended period of time.
Borderline personality disorder requires genuine social support, from trained professionals and a loving family. It requires that all involved recognize it as a genuine disorder. Individuals who have been diagnosed with this disorder are up against real social stigma. The challenge to overcome the initial stigma as well as getting the dysfunctional behavior patterns under control can seem to be insurmountable. Many have been able to undergo treatment and develop and maintain significant relationships with spouses.
Dating and BPD can seem difficult, fortunately on average 86% of individuals who receive treatment have developed stable home lives. Although dating with borderline personality disorder will be a struggle it is well worth the challenge and many people are able to have healthy happy lives and relationships.
