How to Ease Paranoia in Borderline Personality Disorder

How to Ease Paranoia in Borderline Personality Disorder BPD Print Tips for Easing Paranoia in Borderline Personality Disorder 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 May 06, 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 September 19, 2019 PeopleImages / Getty Images More in BPD Diagnosis Treatment Living With BPD Related Conditions Many people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience paranoia or paranoid thinking under conditions of stress. Paranoia is a term generally used to refer to intense beliefs of mistrust or the malicious intentions of others. For example, someone with paranoia may have the belief that the government is listening to their phone calls, or that their spouse is having an affair. Paranoid Ideation in Borderline Personality Disorder Episodes of paranoid thinking, or ideation, can range from mild and short-lived to very severe and chronic. Some individuals with psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia or delusional disorder, tend to have severe, chronic paranoid ideation that has no relationship to reality. While many people with borderline personality  disorder do experience paranoia since it is part of the diagnostic criteria for BPD, it tends to occur only under conditions of stress or interpersonal conflict. For example, an adolescent with BPD might see two of his friends talking in the hallway and develop the paranoid belief that his friends all secretly hate him and are planning to humiliate him. Or an adult with BPD might misread their partner’s cues that they want some alone time as a sign that the relationship is being terminated, and dwell on this belief even when a great deal of evidence to the contrary is presented. At least one study suggests that while individuals with BPD differ from those with psychotic disorders in terms of their psychotic reactivity, which is their tendency to have paranoid ideation and other thinking and perceptual problems under stress, they do not necessarily differ from patients with psychotic disorders in terms of the intensity of the paranoia or other psychotic experience. So, while people with BPD have short-term psychotic symptoms, these symptoms are not necessarily mild. Stress-Busters to Help Tame Paranoid Ideation in BPD Because paranoia in BPD is worse when you are under stress, you may find it helpful to find ways to relax and work through your stress. Some popular stress busters are: Deep Breathing:  The advantage of deep breathing is you can do it anywhere, anytime. Sit or lie down, fill up your lungs slowly, and then exhale your breath back out slowly. Repeat.Meditation:  This practice has been around for centuries and while there are different techniques, most of them focus on quiet, calm, relaxation and focusing your attention. Different meditation methods can be found online.Yoga: Like mediation, the focus with yoga is on calm, relaxation, quiet, as well as posture and flexibility. There are many free yoga apps and instructional videos online to instruct you how to do yoga on your own, or you can sign up for a class at your local gym.Tai Chi: Another ancient practice, tai chi was meant for self-defense  but is used by many people now to relax and reduce stress. Like yoga, it involves specific poses, targeted concentration, slow movements, and focused breathing.Biofeedback: In biofeedback, you learn how to control things such as heart rate and  certain muscle s by having monitors attached to you so you can visualize and hear whats going on in your body. By learning how to change your thoughts or emotions in a way to slow these mechanisms down, you help reduce stress.