Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotional Instability
Practice Specialty
While I provide therapy treatment for a number of conditions, at Nicholas Barrington Therapy, I specialize in helping LGBTQ+ people suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder and mood instability. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach to therapy, this crossover allows me to provide a queer-affirming space to people while they work on recovering from significant trauma and emotional instability that are unique to their lived experience.
How Do I know if I have Borderline Personality Disorder?
You might be wondering if you might have Borderline Personality Disorder, or maybe someone in your life has told you that you need help from a therapist. People who experience borderline personality disorder, commonly known as BPD, typically describe their life and relationships like they are riding a roller coaster. They may notice that at any moment something might set them off into an intense wave of anger, fear, or depression. They might even feel like the people around them could be ready to abandon them at any moment. These intense feelings often bring people to the point of engaging high-risk behavior, self-harm (such as cutting or burning), or suicide attempts. BPD is a complex condition, so working with a qualified licensed professional will be the best way to determine if this diagnosis fits your symptoms.
LGBTQ+ people and BPD
Given the adversity and stress that comes with being part of a marginalized group, LGBTQ+ individuals are already at higher risk of suffering from mental health conditions. Among people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and other personality disorders, LBGBTQ+ people are often significantly overrepresented in the research literature. This is likely due in part to the unique experiences, traumas, and discrimination that queer individuals face in their daily lives. Additionally, professionals who lack the knowledge, understanding, or lived experience of life as an LGBTQ+ individual might be at risk of misdiagnosing someone who is queer. For example, a therapist who lacks knowledge of the gender spectrum may misidentify a client who identifies as transgender or nonbinary as someone who lacks a stable identity. Yet this client in all likelihood may be comfortable with their gender identity and have long since accepted who they are. There is a long history of this kind of systemic bias in the mental health profession, and at points in history, sexual orientation and gender identity were both pathologized as “disorders.” Given the lack of knowledge from even well-meaning professionals, many LGBTQ+ people leave therapy feeling like they haven’t truly been heard.
Is There Hope For Me?
Many people who experience BPD and emotional instability feel like they have been burned to the point of despair. They may even wonder if life is worth living at all anymore. However, I am here to tell you that while those feelings are real and valid, there is still hope for the future! With the right therapist and some consistent work, you can set yourself not only to recover, but to find your passion and achieve your life worth living. With my intimate knowledge of evidence-based treatment for BPD such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), I work with my clients to uncover their inner strengths, practice new skills in the four DBT pillars of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. I also center my work around understanding and affirming the queer experience in my therapy practice. I am here to support my clients who are facing homophobia, transphobia, or sexism. At the same time, the queer community is not just unique in our adversity but in our diversity and our culture. Regardless of whether my clients are queer, straight, or cisgender, I support each individual in exploring and accepting their whole selves.
Get Help Today
If you are ready to end your suffering and find your life worth living, I invite you to contact me today for a free 15-minute consultation.
