Romantic Relationships Involving People With BPD

Romantic Relationships Involving People With BPD BPD Living With BPD Print Romantic Relationships Involving People With BPD By Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University. Learn about our editorial policy Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on September 28, 2019 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD on September 28, 2019 More in BPD Living With BPD Diagnosis Treatment Related Conditions In This Article Table of Contents Expand Symptoms Research Entering a Relationship Making a Relationship Last Managing a Relationship Breaking Up View All Back To Top Borderline personal disorder (BPD) relationships are often chaotic, intense, and conflict-laden, and this can be especially true for romantic BPD relationships. If you are considering starting a relationship with someone with BPD, or are in one now, you need to educate yourself about the disorder and what to expect. Likewise, if you have been diagnosed with BPD, it can be helpful to think about how your symptoms have affected your dating life and romantic relationships. The Effect of BPD Symptoms on Intimacy In the  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the resource mental health professionals refer to when making a diagnosis,  symptoms of BPD include intense, unstable, and conflicted personal relationships. In essence, people with BPD are often terrified that others will leave them. However, they can also shift suddenly to feeling smothered and fearful of intimacy, which leads them to withdraw from relationships. The result is a constant back-and-forth between demands for love or attention and sudden withdrawal or isolation. Another BPD symptom that particularly impacts relationships is called abandonment sensitivity.?? This can lead those with BPD to be constantly watching for signs that someone may leave them and to interpret even a minor event as a sign that abandonment is imminent. The emotions may result in frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, such as pleading, public scenes, and even physically preventing the other person from leaving. Another common complaint of loved ones in borderline relationships is lying. While lying and deception are not part of the formal diagnostic criteria  for  BPD,  many loved ones say lying is one of their biggest concerns; this can be because BPD causes people to see things very differently than others. Impulsive sexuality  is another classic symptom of BPD, and many people with BPD struggle with issues of sexuality. Also, a large percentage of people with BPD experienced  childhood sexual abuse,?? which can make sex very complicated. Finally, other symptoms of BPD, including  impulsivity,  self-harm,?? and dissociative symptoms, which can have an indirect impact on borderline relationships. For example, if a loved one with BPD is engaging in impulsive behaviors like going on spending sprees, it can cause major stress within the family. In addition, suicidal gestures can be scary for romantic partners and can introduce lots of stress into the relationship. What Research Says About BPD and Romantic Relationships Research has confirmed that people with BPD tend to have very stormy romantic relationships characterized by a great deal of tumult and dysfunction.?? For example, one study demonstrated that women with BPD symptoms reported greater chronic relationship stress and more frequent conflicts. Also, the more severe a person’s BPD symptoms are the less satisfaction their partner  reports. In addition, research has also shown that BPD symptoms are associated with a greater number of romantic relationships over time, and a higher incidence of unplanned pregnancies in women.?? People with BPD also tend to have more former partners and tend to terminate more relationships in their social networks than people without personality disorders. This suggests that romantic relationships with people with BPD are more likely to end in a breakup. Finally, in terms of sex, research has shown that women with BPD have more negative attitudes about sex, are more likely to feel pressured into having sex with their partner, and are more ambivalent about sex  than women without BPD.?? Unfortunately, little research has been done on sexuality in men with BPD. Starting a Romantic Relationship With Someone Who Has BPD Given all the difficulties that exist in BPD relationships, why would anyone start a relationship with someone with the disorder? First, its important to remember that despite these intense and disruptive symptoms,?? people with BPD are frequently good, kind, and caring individuals. Often they have many positive qualities that can make them great romantic partners some of the time. Furthermore, many people who have been in a romantic relationship with someone with BPD talk about how fun, exciting, and passionate a BPD partner can be. Many people are drawn to a BPD partner precisely because people with BPD have intense emotions and a strong desire for intimacy. Can You Make a Romantic BPD Relationship Last? Most BPD relationships go through a honeymoon period. People with BPD will often report that at the beginning of a new romantic relationship they put their new partner “on a pedestal” and sometimes feel they have found their perfect match, a soul mate who will rescue them from their emotional pain. This kind of thinking is called “idealization.” This honeymoon period can be very exciting for the new partner too. After all, its really nice to have someone feel so strongly about you  and to feel as if you are needed. Problems start to arise, however, when reality sets in. When a person with BPD realizes that her new partner is not faultless, that image of the perfect (idealized) soul mate can come crashing down. Because people with BPD struggle with dichotomous thinking, or seeing things only in black and white, they can have trouble recognizing the fact that most people make mistakes even when they mean well. As a result, they may quickly go from idealization to devaluation?? (or thinking that their partner is a horrible person). The key to maintaining a relationship with someone with BPD is to find ways to cope with these cycles and to encourage your BPD partner to get professional help to reduce these cycles. Sometimes partners in BPD relationships are helped by couples therapy. Couples Counseling for BPD Relationships Managing a Romantic Relationship Involving BPD In addition to couples therapy, for the person with BPD, there are therapies that have been shown to be effective in terms of helping with relationships: Dialectal Behavior Therapy (DBT):  DBT is a form of  cognitive behavioral therapy  that relates a persons thinking to their behavior. There are four main skills taught in  DBT, and one of them is managing interpersonal skills.Mentalization Therapy (MBT):  MBT  is a therapy that focuses on helping someone make sense of what is going on in their mind and the minds of others. Medications:  There are currently no  medications approved to treat BPD, but they are sometimes prescribed by doctors to help improve certain symptoms of borderline personality disorder. Research suggests that certain medications can help a person manage their anger, impulsivity, and depression.?? On that note, though, its important to weigh carefully the side effects of a medication with its potential benefit. Ending a BPD Relationship   Many issues may arise when a BPD relationship is ending. Because people with BPD have an intense fear of abandonment, a breakup can leave them feeling absolutely desperate and devastated. Even if a relationship is unhealthy, a person with BPD can often have trouble letting the relationship go. This is particularly true of long-term partnerships or marriages.?? This is why its a good idea to have a support network for you and partner, especially if a break-up may occur, and this network often includes a mental health professional. A Word From Verywell On a positive and final note, please remember that the prognosis for BPD is good. This means that while most people with BPD do experience residual symptoms even after time and treatment, in the long term there is often hope that your relationship with your loved one can work.