Throughout a recent consultation, Jay, a youthful mental health worker in an in-patient facility, requested for advice regarding how to deal with a borderline personality disorder patient who had been battling with problems with rage and a feeling of entitlement. He posted a lengthy written description, reporting that his use this patient was “being a nightmare.” Among other problematic behaviors, Jay reported that his patient cuts herself, threatens suicide, hits her peers, urinates on the ground and screams at surface of her lung area when she doesn’t get her way.
She clearly includes a strong feeling of entitlement, that is sign of borderline personality disorder. Jay highlighted this issue with another example: one evening she purchased cereal on her breakfast the very next day, then automobile up and required oatmeal and bananas rather. When nobody complied, she overturned a couple of chairs, put her tray in the kitchen staff, after which threatened to kill herself and burn the area lower. The temper outburst lasted three hrs. As she was completely unreachable, she was eventually put into restraints and medicated.
Jay complains that “empathy doesn’t work, group therapy, one-on-one, drawing, meditating, bribery” — nothing works. Also, he describes her extreme swings in emotion, particularly in her relationship to Jay. “She hates me eventually and can’t do without me the following.” She’s no limitations and doesn’t respect Jay’s. His fellow staff people “are tired of her.” Because he is easily the most junior member around the ward, he’s regrettably “stuck” together with her.” He feels so angry and demoralized by his use this patient that’s thinking about a career move.
Jay’s description dramatically illustrates the emotional challenge of dealing with somebody that is affected with borderline personality disorder. His reactions aren’t unusual I’ve felt much the same ways during sessions with my very own clients. His account also jogs my memory of other such tales I have heard, concerning the way borderline personality disorder patients affect their ward staff. They’re highly provocative and evocative they inspire feelings of hostility and bitterness. They create you need to quit the profession.
To be able to help someone such as this youthful lady, you initially need to get obvious around the distinction between empathy and sympathy. Jay claims that “empathy doesn’t work,” however i doubt he or other people around the employees are truly empathizing together with her… a minimum of they are unaware that they’re. She fills them (via projection) with all of her very own intolerable feelings of rage and anger the way in which she treats her caretakers evokes exactly the same feelings within them that she’s battling with. Jay states her behaviors make his “bloodstream boil” — this is where the empathy is available in. However ,, typically, we mental health care professionals believe it’s inappropriate to possess such feelings, so when we are made to admit that people will have them, you want to blame the individual.
