BPD and Self-Harm

Hi all it is Thursday, so it is time for a little more info about BPD this week we are looking at self-harm and suicide. Not something I like to think about but a real problem for those with BPD.

It seems that the rate of self-harm, suicide and BPD is bloody high, in fact research has shown as many as 10% of people with BPD die by suicide.

Sometimes, these suicide attempts inadvertently help people with BPD avoid abandonment. For instance, after a bad breakup, they may dangerously cut themselves. Then, they may call their ex-partner and tell them what happened, there ex may then offer comfort and support this temporarily relieves the fear of abandonment.

It is common for those with BPD to swing between wanting to feel alive and wanting to feel nothing at all. This is because regulating their emotions is so damn hard and even the slightest negative feeling can feel overwhelming. This is why the desire at times to end it all can be a constant battle.

Sadly, even when a suffer isn’t having suicidal thoughts the act of self-harm can go terrible wrong leading to an irreversible mistake.

This symptom can and does make treatment difficult and it is not unusual for a suffer to be a frequent flyer in hospital emergency rooms. What they don’t want and what they may learn how to avoid is being admitted to psychiatric ward or hospital. This symptom is devasting for those of us who love someone with BPD and we need to have a tough skin so when the suffer does self-harm their blaming language doesn’t hurt us too much.

Those with BPD as well as others who feel overwhelmed with life the act of inflicting pain on themselves seems logical and effective to relieve their pain if only for a little bit. We also should remember that self-harming can result in the release of endorphins which will act as a natural pain relief, thus when they self-harm they have a moment of not feeling the pain they have caused. This of course doesn’t last and no good is achieved by self-harming.

Of course, in reality self-harm only add to and deepens their problems and for those around them the need to deal with the immediate threat of self-harm can distract from the main problem.

Someone whose life is controlled by their condition and having BPD would often feel it is controlling their life will find relationships difficult and will often be wracked by feelings that they are not good enough or worthy enough, they are usually beating themselves up over and over again for what they think are their failures. This is another reason they self-harm.