The problem with mental health.

It is common for people with Borderline Personality Disorder and other mental health difficulties to believe that they are the problem, that they are flawed or faulty human beings. The difficulty with this belief is that solving this 'problem' can result in destructive behaviours, including increased self harm and suicidal behaviours. These behaviours can then reinforce an individual's belief that they are causing pain to loved ones. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) interrupts this cycle by developing skills and knowledge about why distressing situations occur and how the person can avoid them or manage them once they occur. One of the main assumptions of DBT is that everyone is doing the best they can, my goal in therapy is to help you to do things differently so you can create a life worth living rather than existing through life feeling that you are the problem.

DBT helps to achieve this through explaining the biosocial development of mental health, which identifies several factors that make it difficult to regulate emotions and manage distressing situations:

·         Biology

·         Lack of skill

·         Reinforcement of emotional behaviour

·         Moodiness

·         Emotional overload

·         Emotional myths

Whatever diagnosis or concerns you have, emotional dysregulation can stop you from making good decisions for yourself and perpetuate the cycle of distress. By identifying what factors are involved in your individual situation, you can choose to change elements and alter the cycle and outcomes. Through problem solving or acceptance skills you can alter the situation or your feelings towards it. This approach works incredibly well for individuals with symptoms of BPD as well as a wide variety of mental health issues. Through the development of skills and understanding of the emotional and biological factors involved in the development and maintenance of mental health concerns, you can start to create a life worth living.