Do I Qualify for Intensive Outpatient Services in Massachusetts?
East Point outpatient BPD mental health services in Massachusetts are designed for adults aged 18 and older. While face-to-face intensive outpatient program (IOP) in Massachusetts is available only to those willing to travel to our borderline personality disorder treatment facility, our affordable virtual BPD treatment options are accessible to anyone.
IOP programs in Massachusetts are ideal for those who still require intensive care but also need to maintain their daily routine. With outpatient services, you spend only a portion of your time receiving treatment within our facility or online, and the rest of the time, you go about your daily obligations as usual.
What Is
Borderline Personality Disorder?
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health disorder that seriously impacts your ability to regulate your emotions, especially anger. Loss of emotional control often leads to increased impulsivity, which can impact your self-image and relationships.
BPD is recognized by its extreme mood swings and unstable relationships. It also manifests in dramatic and erratic behaviors, and these dysfunctional behavioral patterns are inflexible. People struggling with borderline personality disorder have an intense fear of abandonment and are at a higher risk of suicide and self-destructive behavior.
It is not unusual for people to live with borderline personality disorder without knowing they have it.
What Causes Borderline Personality Disorder in Adults?
As with any mental health disorder, borderline personality disorder cannot be associated with a single factor causing it. It’s rather a combination of factors contributing to symptomatology. These are the most significant factors contributing to the development of BPD in adults:
- Genetic predisposition: Genes we inherit from our parents make us more vulnerable to developing BPD if it runs in the family
- Brain development: Researchers using MRI have shown that certain brain parts have unusual activity levels in people with BPD, in particular, the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the orbitofrontal cortex.
- Brain chemicals: People with BPD often have issues with neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly serotonin.
Additionally, environmental factors play a role. These environmental factors are typically related to early childhood and can include childhood traumas, neglect, abuse, etc.
The Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder
Symptoms of borderline personality disorder can range from manageable to severe. The person typically exhibits a combination of the following:
- Fear of abandonment: This fear is so intense in people with BPD that they react to it with intense fear or anger. They might try to control where and with whom their loved one is, or they can push people away out of fear of rejection.
- Unstable, intense relationships: People with BPD struggle to maintain healthy personal relationships mostly because they change their views of others suddenly and dramatically. They can go from idealizing to hating someone abruptly.
- Unstable self-image or sense of self: Similar to the view of others, people with BPD can quickly change how they see themselves, as well as their goals, opinions, careers, or friends. They often have a distorted image of themselves and feel guilt because of it. Furthermore, they tend to sabotage their progress
- Rapid mood changes: Emotional instability and mood changes are the main characteristics of BPD. They experience irrational emotions like uncontrollable anger, fear, anxiety, hatred, sadness, and love, and they change frequently and suddenly.
- Impulsive behavior: People with BPD frequently drive recklessly, get into fights, lean into substance use, or practice unsafe sex.
BPD Treatment in Massachusetts
Borderline personality disorder treatment Massachusetts is a holistic program consisting of several different approaches, aiming to support your body, mind, and spirit. The most efficient treatment for BPD is talk therapy, or psychotherapy, and different methods and approaches show promising results. Additionally, the management of severe outbursts of BPD symptoms may involve medication.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a well-established therapeutic approach that helps individuals identify and change unhelpful thought patterns related to past trauma. Our CBT therapy online can also help you achieve balance. This method is especially beneficial for individuals with borderline personality disorder when environmental factors, such as childhood trauma or neglect, play a significant role in their condition.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) also developed from CBT and is typically used to develop emotion management skills. For instance, anger management therapy online can help you manage anger outbursts. Like CBT, electrical behavioral therapy works on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and their mutual impact. Still, the emphasis is on regulating emotions, being mindful, and learning to accept pain.
Client Centered Therapy
Client-centered or person centered therapy treatment is a form of humanistic therapy in which a client takes an active role in directing their treatment process. According to this approach, the client knows their life the best and, therefore, can guide their self-exploration. In this case, the therapist has only a supportive role and is there to provide a safe space for self-exploration and increase self-understanding by reflecting and asking clarifying questions.
Medication Management
Although medications are not the first line of treatment for borderline personality disorder, they can be useful when experiencing acute episodes, severe mood swings, or extreme fear. East Point’s medication management for mental health ensures careful management of pharmacotherapy, proper adherence, and quick adjustments when necessary. There is no reason for you to suffer if medications can make your symptoms easier. Our medication management can help you avoid errors and enjoy the benefits of adequate treatment.
Benefits of Personalized Treatment Plans for BPD
A personalized approach to borderline personality disorder treatment in Massachusetts ensures success, as it is tailored to the specific issues and challenges of the person struggling with this disorder. Opting for personalized treatment plans for BPD has several additional benefits.
Improved Emotional Stability
One of the most important issues of borderline personality disorder is a lack of emotional stability. It can manifest in various ways, typically through impulsivity and episodes of anger. A tailored BPD treatment ensures that you learn your triggers and how to control your particular reactions to them, resulting in emotional stability.
Enhanced Relationships
Another usual struggle for people with BPD is relationship maintenance, as they tend to be overly controlling or push people away. At the same time, they have a strong need to be loved and fear abandonment. Once they learn to manage their emotions and behaviors related to them, people with BPD experience improvements in their relationships.
Reduced Risk of Self-Harm
People with borderline personality disorder are at a higher risk of self-harm and suicide as they experience extreme mood swings and typically feel guilt about not being able to manage their emotions. Once they control their emotions, impulsive and self-harming behavior reduces significantly.
Greater Self-Understanding
Poor or unstable self-image is yet another thing that personalized therapy for borderline personality disorder can address if you’re struggling with this aspect of BPD. Psychotherapy can help you understand where your negative thoughts about yourself are coming from. Furthermore, it can help you reframe those thoughts and beliefs.
Better Quality of Life
Psychotherapy improves the overall quality of your life and leads to lifelong well-being. By helping you understand your cognitive and emotional patterns and manage how they impact your life, therapy also assists you in establishing healthy coping mechanisms and skills that can serve you for a lifetime.
Where to Get Help for Borderline Personality Disorder in Massachusetts
Finding the right facility to support you is the most important aspect of BPD treatment programs in Massachusetts. It can be challenging, but finding a center that can respond to your needs and understand your circumstances is essential. You will want a carefully tailored treatment that treats you as a whole rather than a group of symptoms.
If you are wondering where to find BPD specialists in Massachusetts, East Point Behavioral Health can help. Our knowledgeable and experienced staff will customize our borderline personality disorder treatment in Massachusetts to address your particular challenges and struggles. Furthermore, we offer online therapy for borderline personality disorder for those residing outside of Massachusetts. Call us and take control of your emotional life today.
