Borderline Personality Disorder Hotline

If you feel that you are struggling with anxiety, you don’t have to struggle alone. You can call The National Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787 to speak to a professional about anxiety symptoms and get help with mental health resources.

Mental health disorders are common and nothing to be ashamed about. In fact, 1.4 percent of American adults live with borderline personality disorder (BPD), and nearly 75% of those in treatment are women. People with BPD are often living in constant, deep emotional pain — trying hard to bury it beneath the surface as they get on with life. Fear, anger, guilt, shame and sadness might feel like your default emotions, but once you learn your triggers and start managing BPD, you can live happily and without shame.

Treatment from a mental health professional gradually teaches you strategies and practices to help you regulate your emotions. However, taking that first step can be the hardest bit, especially for someone who’s spent their lives masking symptoms and trying their best to put on a brave face. A BPD helpline bridges that gap and gets you on the path to recovery in a safe and confidential way.

How Can You Benefit From a Call to a Borderline Personality Disorder Hotline?

A BPD crisis hotline is the first encounter with a mental health support service for many callers who go on to receive effective treatment. Benefits include:

  • Anonymity: It’s difficult to disclose our health struggles sometimes because of fear of discrimination and stigma. Calling a BPD crisis hotline can be your first safe action in caring for your mental health. There’s no obligation and you get free information. Every caller is entitled to confidential assistance.
  • Empathetic and Qualified Counselors: You’ll be in touch with someone who understands how to navigate the mental health support system in your region. They listen to your struggles to better serve your needs by guiding you to the right care.
  • Call when you want: It’s an act of bravery on your part to call a BPD hotline. You can get in touch at your convenience, and you can end the call when you want. There’s no pressure, and you can contact a counselor from the comfort of home.

You don’t have to have BPD to call. You might prefer to have a friend or family member call on your behalf. Getting as much support as you can from numerous resources enhances your ability to manage personal mental health.

What Causes Borderline Personality Disorder?

A mental health issue isn’t something you’ve chosen or are doing to yourself. There are certain factors contributing to BPD, including biological and environmental causes that might have roots in early childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. They include:

  • Abuse or neglect
  • Genetic history of BPD
  • Abnormalities in the brain regions that regulate emotions
  • A highly sensitive temperament (this is impacted deeply by your genetics)

People with BPD often have concurrent mental health problems, including substance abuse, depression and anxiety. While drugs and alcohol tend to provide sufferers with temporary relief, they ultimately make it even harder to regulate your emotions. But help is at hand. No matter how complicated your situation is or how hopeless you feel, professional treatment can help you heal and find peace.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder?

You may not have a diagnosis of BPD yet, and even if you do, you may find relief knowing that your discomfort stems from the symptoms of BPD. These telltale signals may indicate you have the disorder and need professional help.

Signs and symptoms of BPD include:

  • Emotional dysregulation – unlike bipolar disorder, moods shift quickly and episodes are often triggered by fear of abandonment or rejection
  • Black and white thinking, where a person thinks in terms of all good or all bad
  • Self-hatred
  • Difficulties with close personal relationships
  • Unstable sense of identity leading to shifting beliefs or persona
  • Impulsiveness and engaging in reckless behaviors including spending sprees, unsafe sex, binge-eating
  • Self-harm
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Intense feelings of anger, sadness, fear or
  • Feeling detached from reality

The intensity and duration of BPD symptoms vary. Not everyone with BPD suffers from every symptom, but the disorder can severely impact functioning. Just know that help and treatment are available to help you live healthier and happier.

What Treatments Help With Borderline Personality Disorder?

Treatments for BPD are recommended and prescribed by regulated medical professionals. The majority of people benefit from psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy. There are two main types of talk therapy recommended for treating BPD:

  • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) : The main focus of this therapy is mindfulness and self-awareness. It was developed specifically for people with BPD. With dedicated practice, you can improve your relationships, reduce self-harm thoughts and actions and regulate intense emotions.
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) : Change core beliefs and negative behaviors by helping you identify the inaccurate perceptions hindering your relationship to yourself and others. You may see a reduction in the intensity of mood swings, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

A minority of the people diagnosed with BPD benefit from prescribed medications. The medicines are usually given for other mental health issues that co-occur with BPD, such as major depressive disorder.

BPD Resources and BPD Crisis Hotlines

You and your family can get support and guidance from various mental health organizations, including:

You are invited to get help for BPD by calling the Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787.