Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is thought to affect about 2% of the population - and three quarters of people given this diagnosis are women. Through our award-winning programme, we take a holistic approach, to help women between 18 and 65 tackle their symptoms, and progress with their lives, providing this as an outpatient or inpatient service.

BPD is not usually diagnosed until adulthood, as people's personalities are said to still be developing until then. Symptoms can include:

  • mood swings and bouts of anger
  • self harm
  • damaging behaviour in some of the following areas: spending, sex, drug / alcohol misuse, reckless driving, binge eating
  • thinking in very black and white terms, and forming intense, conflict-ridden relationships.

These symptoms can often cause problems with the person's family and work, and result in a poor self image and an inability to make long-term plans.

We offer two treatment models, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Schema.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Our DBT programme aims to give service users the best chance of addressing their problems, in a safe environment, within a special unit at one of our hospitals. Treatment consists of:

  • Skills training - working in groups, users learn to deal with distress, regulate emotions, develop interpersonal skills and become more 'mindful'.
  • Individual therapy - building on the group sessions, we work with each user to focus on positive behaviour, set targets and monitor progress.
  • Complementary therapies - service users can also take part in relaxation, pampering, drama, art and music therapy.

Schema Therapy

The basic philosophy of Schema Therapy is that if basic safety, care, guidance, and affection are not met in childhood then as adults service users feel a void emotionally and thus the schemas begin to develop and often lead to unhealthy/unstable relationships, poor social skills, unhealthy lifestyle choices, self-destructiveness, and overall poor functionality.

By building caring bonds and enforcing self-examination, Schema Therapy aims to help a person to gain the self-confidence needed in order to achieve their ultimate goals. This therapeutic approach attempts to create a peaceful environment in order to help service users to feel more comfortable during discussion groups and lessons.

Locations

We provide DBT based inpatient BPD treatment at the following Cygnet Health hospitals:

We provide a mixed programme of DBT and Schema based inpatient treatment in a low secure environment at the following Cygnet Health hospital: