Script Shrink

nothowiplanned

So exposure is one (horrible) way of doing this. Taking cars as the example, and depending on at what point the panic kicks in, they could stand touching the car, then sitting in the car with the door open and their legs out of the car, then sitting in the car fully with the door still open, then sitting in the stationary car with the door closed, then sitting in the car for a very short journey, then gradually building up the length of time they stay in the car. This would be extremely emotionally demanding, the character should probably have someone they trust absolutely with them, and they will have panic attacks/dissociate while doing this. It might not progress in a straight line either - one day the character might be able to sit in the car with the door closed but the next day they might really struggle getting in to it.

rarmeowz

Exposure therapy is pretty much the only thing I know of to actually get rid of triggers like that, and depending on the level of fear/panic that the trigger causes it can take a pretty short time to get over it or it can take a very, very long time.

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adamfaraday

It’s not so much perpetually angry, but I feel raw and emotional and the best way to get anyone to leave you alone is to start yelling and slamming things. I get ragey when I feel isolated from help and surrounded by people demanding things from me. I don’t know if that is typical, but it is more of a fear response that translates to aggression. Heightened senses, loss of control of movements, uncontrollable shouting.

rarmeowz

I don’t have a rage disorder, but I have rage episodes due to my BPD. I absolutely agree with it being a fear response. I get extremely angry when I get uncomfortable, and for me that manifests in being snappy, shouting, and just this feeling of anger bubbling up inside of me.

aestsea

I have rage episodes due to my PTSD and I experience perpetual underlying anger. You can imagine it like a warm ball in your stomach and when you get stressed or feel cornered your skin feels too tight and you start snapping at people and/or destroying things because you can’t help yourself (also agree with the fact that starting to yell/slam things is a fast way to get people away from you). I don’t know how it feels for other humans but when you feel okay the ‘anger/warm ball’ is like an energy source that helps you get through the day until something sets you off.

Anon 217

For me, the overwhelming anger that came with PTSD was set off any time events were out of my control. My control = safe. Out of control = threat = anger because I couldn’t take control (usually because someone was blocking me or placing themselves in authority). This made me a terrible employee.

barc0de

Mine kinda goes along the: that warm tight feeling in your stomach you get when you’re angry and want to lash out, but at anything, at complete random. Snappy and stormy. But if it’s something I’m predisposed to get angry at then its REALLY angry. Like need for physical violence or just letting my mouth spill every terrible thing i can think of to get the person to repent or back off. Anything to make that disgusting feeling in your stomach go away

bitterbetazoid

I get this when I’m manic sometimes, PARTICULARLY if it’s “that time of the month”. I think it’s also related to anxiety a bit (which spikes around that time as well) but I have to remind myself to not verbally murder anyone who annoys me. I don’t get it as much when I’m depressed though.

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nothowiplanned

I have BPD and have been in a relationship with someone with BPD - not necessarily the best example as she was abusive, which wouldn’t necessarily be the case. I find that I often struggle to get on with people with BPD - their symptomatic behaviours often trigger my symptomatic behaviours, which trigger their symptomatic behaviours etc. I have also heard similar things from others with BPD. So if it was a healthy relationship I think there would have to be a lot of effort on both sides in terms of boundaries and self-care. That’s not so much about how they would act though. I don’t want to stereotype, but I think there might be a tendency towards extravagant displays of affection - certainly I find I am like this in my own relationships, as was my partner with BPD (when things were not terrible)

rarmeowz

I’ve never been in a relationship with another borderline person, but I do have a few friends who are also borderline. What I’ve found is that there is a level of finding comfort in someone who experiences the same things you do, and it’s easier to talk about things like having an fp (which only some borderlines have) and the fear of abandonment and reckless urges and dissociation and all that jazz. However, it’s also really easy to set each other off, and it’s really really easy to feed into each other’s bad habits. It’s hard to stop someone from engaging in reckless behavior when you’d rather just engage in the reckless behavior with them.

Followers with BPD, do you have anything to add?

Disclaimer 

Answers from the scriptshrink consultants after the jump.

CW: Self injury, scars, cutting, body horror

Answers from the Scriptshrink consultants after the jump. 

CW: Self-injury (a LOT of discussion about it), cutting, body horror, suicidal ideation