Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in Teens

Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in Teens
Description: While historically seen as a disorder that could only be identified and treated in adults, research over the last several decades has shown that Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can emerge in the teen years and that early detection and intervention can improve outcomes. Still, many treatment providers remain hesitant to diagnose BPD in adolescents, often due to continued stigma and misunderstanding about the disorder. In the spirit of these challenges, this webinar seeks to provide stigma-reducing education on BPD, clarity about how it may present in adolescents, as well as tips for how to seek accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Presented by: Alyson Orcena, LMFT
Chief Clinical Officer, Evolve Adolescent Behavioral Health
Alyson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over a decade of clinical experience in a variety of settings, including residential treatment, private practice, and community-based mental health. She specializes in the treatment of adolescents with emotion dysregulation and suicidal behaviors, as well as diagnosing and treating Borderline Personality Disorder in teens. Alyson is trained in multiple evidenced-based practices including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and she has been intensively trained in DBT through Behavioral Tech, the premier DBT training institute, founded by the developer of DBT, Dr. Marsha Linehan.
About Evolve Adolescent Behavioral Health
Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment For Teens
Evolve offers evidence-based treatment programs for teens 12-17 years old. We specialize in treating teens with difficulty regulating emotions, engaging in high-risk or self-injurious behaviors, or suffering from suicidal ideation. Many of our teens struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), depression, anxiety, substance use, behavioral issues, ADHD, and other high-acuity mental health issues and co-occurring disorders.
Evolve offers fully adherent Comprehensive DBT programs for teens. These programs use Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as the primary therapeutic modality and incorporate the four essential components of DBT. Comprehensive DBT is the gold standard for evidence-based treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder and is proven to help teens learn actionable, practical skills to improve their lives.
Teens needing a comprehensive DBT approach may identify with:
Confirmed or suspected diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
High emotion sensitivity (intense emotional reactions to triggers in the environment, difficulty coming back to baseline)
Severe emotion dysregulation (moods that change rapidly throughout the day)
Unstable sense of self that is beyond normal identity exploration for a teen
Chaotic, intense relationships that often involve high conflict and switching from loving others to hating them
A history of severe and/or chronic self-harm
A history of multiple suicide attempts and/or chronic thoughts of suicide
Evolve provides a safe and structured environment where teens develop valuable skills and insights, ensuring gains in treatment are maintained long after discharge.