Emotion Dysregulation

Meeting Notes, July 2022

Emotion dysregulation is a core symptom of borderline personality disorder, and a key contributor to the intensity and distress of the illness. It can involve angry outbursts, distress, impulsiveness, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, self harm and more.

When someone is affected by emotion dysregulation, they may have difficulty understanding their feelings, experience significant distress and respond in unhealthy ways.  It can take a long time for them to return to emotional baseline.

Alex Chapman said “trying to help someone with BPD overcome emotional turmoil is like being dropped into a jet plane, going full speed and not knowing how or where to land it.”

We watched this edited version of Alex’s excellent webinar Understanding Emotion Dysregulation.  We paused at the ‘dots’, for an open discussion about our own experiences, when a loved one is dysregulated.

Robyn

Image by Tengyart from Unsplash