Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder Triggers

Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder Triggers BPD Print Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder Triggers By Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University. Learn about our editorial policy Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on June 07, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on November 14, 2018 Ghislain Marie David de Lossy / Getty Images More in BPD Diagnosis Treatment Living With BPD Related Conditions Most people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have triggers, that is, particular events or situations that exacerbate or intensify their symptoms. BPD triggers can vary from person to person, but there are some types of triggers that are very common in BPD.?? Defining a Trigger You may have heard the term trigger before but are not sure exactly what this means. Usually, a trigger refers to some event that brings on a major exacerbation of BPD symptoms. This event can be external, as in something that happens outside of yourself, or internal, meaning something that happens in your mind, like a thought or memory. Immediately following a trigger, one or more of your BPD symptoms may intensify significantly. Triggers are events that make you feel as if your symptoms are going off the charts. Relationship Triggers The most common BPD triggers are relationship triggers or interpersonal distress. Many people with BPD experience intense fear and anger, impulsive behavior, self-harm, and even suicidality in the wake of relationship events that make them feel either rejected, criticized, or abandoned. This is a phenomenon called abandonment or rejection sensitivity. For example, you may feel triggered when you leave a message for a friend and do not receive a call back. Perhaps after placing the call, you wait a few hours, and then start having thoughts like, Shes not calling back, she must be mad at me. These thoughts may spiral from there into things like, She probably hates me, or Ill never have a friend who sticks by my side. With these spiraling thoughts come spiraling symptoms, such as intense emotions, anger, and urges to self-harm. Cognitive Triggers Sometimes you may be triggered by internal events, such as thoughts that can seemingly come out of the blue. This is particularly true for people who have BPD related to traumatic events like  child abuse. For example, a memory or image of a past experience, like a traumatic event or a loss, can trigger intense emotions and other BPD symptoms. The memory does not necessarily need to be a distressing one to trigger symptoms. Some people are triggered by memories of good times from the past, which can sometimes be a reminder that things are not as good now.?? How to Manage BPD Triggers Triggers are highly individual, so the first step in managing triggers is to know the particular events, situations, thoughts, or memories that trigger your outbursts of anger or impulsiveness. To determine what your triggers are, try this exercise. It can help you identify and deal with your worst triggers. Once youve learned your most troubling triggers, you have a couple of options. First, you can figure out whether a particular trigger can be avoided. For example, if you know that watching a certain movie always triggers you, you can choose to not watch that movie. Many triggers, however, cant be avoided so easily. If you find that some of your triggers cannot be avoided, you can make a plan for coping  that includes developing an action plan, seeing a therapist, and learning to gradually approach your triggers. A therapist can help you learn to express your emotions in a way that doesnt push the people you love away, which leaves you feeling abandoned or rejected, and thus triggered.