Both borderline personality disorder (BPD) and childhood emotional neglect (CEN) stem from dysfunctional parental involvement in childhood. While they have many symptoms in common, there are significant differences in their root causes and presentations.
BPD tends to result from inconsistent parental involvement, leaving a child unsure of what to expect daily. At times parental figures are emotionally absent and reject the child, while at other times, they are overbearing and controlling.
CEN occurs when parents consistently do not respond to a child’s emotional needs and have little concern for a child’s welfare.
Emotional Challenges
People with both of these disorders have problems with their emotions because of a lack of emotional mirroring from parental figures as a child. Those with BPD often replicate how their parents treated them, vacillating between extreme love and extreme contempt for others. They can also go from calm to angry in a split second.
Unlike BPD, those with CEN tend to have a numbness towards feelings, often completely unaware of their own
. Since they were rarely validated emotionally as children, they learned to suppress their emotional needs to survive.
Through therapy, people suffering from both conditions can learn how to manage their emotions and express them in healthy ways.
Relationship Challenges
People who struggle with both disorders may also struggle with different kinds of relationship problems. Those with CEN often have trouble sharing their feelings, needs, wants and struggles with others. Because of their lack of emotional awareness, they find these things hard to articulate.
People with BPD can also become withdrawn emotionally, but they will at times overshare in inappropriate settings as well. They may change their minds about people on a whim, not knowing if they should or should not trust someone. Fear of rejection leads to impulsivity as well. This can lead to emotionally intense and unpredictable relationships.
Lack of Self-Knowledge
Those with BPD and CEN often have trouble figuring out who they are. People with CEN may have a sense of self but are disconnected from their emotions. They may know intellectually what they want but do not know how to connect with those desires emotionally.
On the other hand, those with BPD do not have a fully developed sense of self. Because their emotions take hold so quickly, they have trouble understanding what to say or do next.
Both cases show that emotional injuries sustained in childhood have lasting effects on adulthood. By working with trained professionals in a therapeutic environment, you can reconnect with your emotions, have stable relationships, and better understand yourself.
Borderline personality disorder and childhood emotional neglect may have similar symptoms but are different disorders. Learning the differences between the two can help you seek the care you need. At Alta Loma, we understand how mental health disorders can affect your behaviors and emotions. We are here to help you. Our transformative treatment center in Georgetown, Texas, can provide you with individualized therapy, coping skills, education, therapeutic recreational activities, and more. Please call us at (866) 457-3843 for more information.
