Meaning of High-Functioning Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
High-functioning borderline personality disorder refers to people exhibiting symptoms of borderline personality disorder that are internally focused. They typically still manage to lead a stable life, and symptoms may not be observable to others. High-functioning borderline personality disorder still makes it challenging for people to regulate emotions, form relationships, and identify triggers.
The symptoms of high-functioning borderline personality disorder are often less observable since individuals are more likely to internalise their challenges. It refers mainly to one’s ability to navigate everyday life fairly effectively and show fewer symptoms externally. High functioning is also known as a “quiet” form of BPD, but it doesn’t mean the person isn’t facing challenges and difficulties simply because the signs are invisible. People with quiet BPD direct their emotions and behaviours inward, which is why it is sometimes difficult to identify and notice that someone may be facing challenges.
It’s essential to remember that even though someone may be considered high-functioning, they still experience significant challenges due to their symptoms. They may also be at risk for experiencing periods of crisis or worsening symptoms, especially during stress or significant life changes.
Identifying Strengths of High-Functioning BPD
While individuals with high-functioning borderline personality disorder (BPD) may experience significant challenges related to their symptoms, they often possess strengths and positive qualities that contribute to their ability to manage their mental health challenges and lead fulfilling lives.
For example, emotional sensitivity is one of the strengths of people with quiet borderline personality disorder as it can lead to greater empathy and understanding of other’s emotions, which helps to facilitate deeper connections and relationships. Individuals with quiet borderline personality disorder often develop strong adaptive skills that help them cope with their symptoms and navigate various personal as well as professional situations, like better reading of social cues and adapting their behaviour accordingly.
Some strengths may also include insightfulness and resourcefulness since individuals with high-functioning BPD can develop more profound insight into their emotions, thoughts, and self-awareness, an essential tool for personal growth and recovery. Recognising and harnessing these strengths can be a necessary aspect of treatment and recovery for individuals with high-functioning BPD, helping them to build resilience and lead fulfilling lives.
Resilience and Coping Mechanisms
Resilience and developing coping mechanisms play a crucial role in the management and treatment of high-functioning borderline personality disorder. Practices such as mindfulness meditation can help individuals with BPD become more aware of their thoughts and emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them. Mindfulness techniques can promote emotional regulation and reduce impulsivity.
Learning stress management techniques such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or visualisation can help individuals with BPD reduce tension and anxiety in stressful situations. Identifying and practising coping strategies that work for individual triggers or situations can empower individuals with BPD to navigate challenges effectively. This may include distraction techniques, grounding exercises, or positive self-talk.
Empathy and Compassion
Empathy and compassion are some of the biggest strengths for individuals with quiet borderline personality disorder for several reasons. Quiet BPD often involves internalising intense emotions and developing self-esteem issues, leading to a heightened sensitivity to others’ feelings. Developing empathy allows individuals to understand others’ perspectives more deeply and foster meaningful connections. Empathy and compassion facilitate the development of supportive relationships.
By empathising with others’ experiences, individuals with quiet BPD can build trust, strengthen bonds, and receive support during times of need. Empathy involves recognising and understanding emotions in oneself and others. By honing their empathetic abilities, individuals with quiet BPD can improve their emotional regulation skills, leading to better management of their own intense emotions and reactions.
Creativity
Creativity provides a non-verbal outlet for individuals with quiet BPD to express their complex emotions and inner experiences. Through artistic endeavours such as painting, writing, music, or other creative outlets, individuals can externalise their feelings and gain insight into their inner world. Engaging in creative activities can serve as a form of meditation, allowing individuals to constructively release negative emotions and tension.
This can help alleviate emotional distress and provide relief and fulfilment. Creative expression often involves introspection and self-reflection, which can be particularly beneficial for individuals with quiet BPD who may have a challenge with self-awareness. Through their creative activities, individuals can explore their thoughts, feelings, and identities, gaining deeper insight into themselves.
Passionate and Emotional
Passion often provides individuals with a sense of purpose and direction in life. For individuals with quiet BPD, having a strong passion for something, whether it’s a hobby, career, cause, or relationship, can instil a sense of meaning and fulfilment, helping to counteract feelings of emptiness or identity disturbance. Immersing oneself in a passionate pursuit can be a healthy distraction from distressing thoughts and emotions.
Engaging in activities can help regulate emotions and promote a sense of well-being, providing a temporary respite from internal challenges. Passion can serve as a constructive coping mechanism for managing stress, anxiety, and other BPD symptoms of quiet BPD. Pouring one’s energy into a passionate pursuit can provide control over one’s circumstances, reducing feelings of helplessness or hopelessness.
Exploring Challenges
Developing borderline personality disorder impacts individuals significantly, but it can also impact their loved ones. Mental health disorders like BPD cause many uncertainties about the person’s identity and cause a sense of dissatisfaction with oneself, leading to feelings of emptiness. People often experience negative thoughts and fear of rejection and avoid expressing their emotions and feelings.
BPD symptoms can revolve around people clinging to others or pushing them away to avoid criticism. Such shifts in perception and behaviours lead to frequent mood swings and changes in emotions from extreme excitement to deep sadness; however, the outward manifestation doesn’t reflect the emotional challenges people face. High-functioning BPD causes people to set high expectations for their personal and professional performance. Still, if these expectations are not met, individuals with high-functioning BPD may feel guilt, low self-esteem and feelings of hopelessness that essentially lead to harmful behaviours and emotions.
Self-Perception and Identity
Individuals with quiet BPD often struggle with a lack of sense of self and shifting self-image. They may have difficulty defining who they are, what they value, and their goals and aspirations. This instability in self-perception can contribute to feelings of confusion and identity crisis. Like individuals with other subtypes of BPD, those with quiet BPD may engage in idealisation and devaluation of themselves. Depending on their mood or circumstances, they may hesitate between viewing themselves as inherently good and worthy of love to see themselves as fundamentally flawed. Fear of rejection or abandonment can significantly impact self-perception for individuals with quiet BPD.
Addressing self-perception challenges in individuals with quiet BPD often involves therapeutic interventions focused on enhancing self-awareness, challenging negative beliefs, building self-esteem, and fostering self-compassion. Through targeted treatment approaches such as dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), individuals with quiet BPD can learn to cultivate a more stable and positive sense of self.
Intense Emotional Turmoil
Emotional turmoil is challenging for everyone, but especially for people with high-functioning BPD due to the internalised nature of the symptoms. Individuals with quiet BPD may have a difficult time identifying and labelling their emotions, which can cause feelings of confusion and distress in addition to struggling with articulating their experiences and feelings.
Individuals with high-functioning BPD tend to be sensitive to external stimuli as well as interpersonal interactions since even the slightest triggers can cause intense emotional reactions leading to feelings of distress.
Impulsivity
Impulsivity in individuals with high-functioning borderline personality disorder manifests in multiple but subtle ways. Although not as significant compared to other types of BPD, impulsivity may include rash decision-making, intrusive thoughts and sudden desires to escape reality.
Challenges in Relationships
Like individuals with other subtypes of BPD, those with quiet BPD often experience a profound fear of abandonment. This fear may lead them to cling to relationships or become overly dependent on their partners, which can strain the relationship and create feelings of overwhelm for both parties. Individuals with quiet BPD may struggle to express their needs, desires, and emotions openly and assertively in relationships. This difficulty in communicating can lead to misunderstandings, frustration, and resentment in both partners, which makes it challenging to maintain interpersonal relationships.
Individuals with quiet BPD may be hypersensitive to perceived rejection or criticism from their partners. Even minor disagreements or conflicts may trigger intense emotional reactions, leading to conflict and instability. This black-and-white thinking can lead to unstable and tumultuous relationships characterised by extreme highs and lows.
Fear of Abandonment
The fear of abandonment is a significant and pervasive issue for individuals with high-functioning borderline personality disorder (BPD). While it may not always be as outwardly apparent as in other subtypes of BPD, it still deeply affects individuals with quiet BPD and influences their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in relationships and other aspects of life.
In an attempt to cope with their fear of abandonment, individuals with quiet BPD may engage in self-sabotaging behaviours that push their loved ones away. This could include withdrawing emotionally, becoming overly clingy, or picking fights with their partners to test their loyalty.
Intensity and Mood Swings
Individuals with quiet BPD often experience intense emotional responses to internal and external stimuli. Their moods may fluctuate rapidly and unpredictably, shifting from extreme highs to lows in response to perceived triggers or stressors.
Mood swings in individuals with quiet BPD are characterised by emotional instability, where their mood can change rapidly and without warning. They may experience sudden shifts in mood, such as going from feeling happy and content to feeling intensely sad or anxious within a short period. Individuals with quiet BPD often struggle to regulate their emotions effectively. They may feel overwhelmed by their emotions and have difficulty managing or coping with intense feelings of sadness, anger, or anxiety and may be prone to developing behaviours of self-harm.
Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Strengths
Having a sincere and thorough approach to mental health and focusing on your unique abilities and strengths is the first step towards reaching your full potential. Reaching out to loved ones, friends, and mental health professionals is a beneficial strategy that can help with this and can change lives.
Taking care of your physical and mental well-being is an essential part of self-care for individuals who deal with internalised emotions. It would help to prioritise healthy habits such as maintaining a nutritious diet, engaging in physical activities, practising self-care, and getting quality sleep to help you overcome the challenges.
Get Support with Unique Community Services
Are you or a loved one needing compassionate care and support tailored to your unique needs? At Unique Community Services, we understand the challenges high-functioning BPD brings, and we embrace your experiences and strengths to focus on delivering proper care and support.
From Bristol to Manchester and Leeds, our dedicated team is committed to providing personalised care and prioritising your well-being. Whether it’s assistance with daily activities or simply a listening ear, we’re here for you every step of the way.
Need help navigating the journey? Reach out to us today, and let us provide the care and support you deserve.
