Lexi Geller
Staff Reporter
Borderline Personality Disorder is a personality disorder that is characterized by 9 harsh and destructive symptoms, one of which is a crippling fear of abandonment. This abandonment can be real or perceived, but either way, the person with BPD is constantly preparing for the abandonment that they believe is inevitable. This fear infiltrates all parts of life including fear of abandonment in friendships, personal relationships, family dynamics, etc. Dr. Ramani of MedCircle explains that an example of perceived abandonment could be something as simple as a family member saying, “Hey, we are going to move some of your stuff out of the garage because we are going to sell the house.” Dr. Ramani explains that this statement could easily put a person with BPD into a state of mind where they are convinced that their family is trying to abandon them. This is a perfect example of perceived abandonment, as this is not a true reflection of what abandonment would look like.
This fear of abandonment, to people on the outside looking in, may seem a bit irrational, but for the person living with the disorder, it is a conclusion that seems reasonable due to the way their thoughts constantly retreat back to preparing for abandonment. Although this tends to be fearful of abandonment may not be an appropriate reaction in response to how a scenario has actually played out, it often becomes much of a self-fulfilling prophecy. A person may fear abandonment so irrationally and take it out often enough on the people around them, that eventually, their interpersonal relationships begin to fail, and they are left by the people they were afraid of being left by.
This fear of abandonment can come from the simple fact that the person affected with BPD does not want to be alone, but it can also stem from the fact that people affected by BPD are likely to have problems with their sense of self. A person may feel that without anyone to care for them, they are not worthy to be cared for. This specific fear many times stems from a sense of abandonment from a parent in early childhood, affecting the person all throughout the rest of their life if gone untreated.
Image Credit: BPD Humans
Komentáře