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Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a disorder of mood and how a person interacts with others. It's the most commonly recognised personality disorder.
In general, someone with a personality disorder will differ significantly from an average person in terms of how he or she thinks, perceives, feels or relates to others.
Symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD)
The symptoms of BPD can be grouped into 4 main areas:
The symptoms of a personality disorder may range from mild to severe and usually emerge in adolescence, persisting into adulthood.
Causes of borderline personality disorder (BPD)
The causes of BPD are unclear. BPD appears to result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
People with BPD come from many different backgrounds, but most will have experienced some kind of trauma or neglect as children.
When to get medical advice
If you're experiencing symptoms of BPD, make an appointment with a GP.
They may ask about:
This is to rule out other more common mental health conditions, such as depression, and to make sure there's no immediate risk to your health and wellbeing.
Treating borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Many people with BPD can benefit from psychological or medical treatment.
Treatment may involve a range of individual and group psychological therapies (psychotherapy) carried out by trained professionals working with a community mental health team (CMHT).
Effective treatment may last more than a year.
Over time, many people with BPD overcome their symptoms and recover. Additional treatment is recommended for people whose symptoms return.
Associated mental health problems
Many people with BPD also have another mental health condition or behavioural problem, such as:
BPD can be a serious condition, and many people with the condition self-harm and attempt suicide
Treating borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Many people with BPD can benefit from psychological or medical treatment.
Treatment may involve a range of individual and group psychological therapies (psychotherapy) carried out by trained professionals working with a community mental health team (CMHT).
Effective treatment may last more than a year.
Over time, many people with BPD overcome their symptoms and recover. Additional treatment is recommended for people whose symptoms return.
Associated mental health problems
Many people with BPD also have another mental health condition or behavioural problem, such as:
BPD can be a serious condition, and many people with the condition self-harm and attempt suicide
Symptoms - Borderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) can cause a wide range of symptoms, which can be broadly grouped into 4 main areas.
The 4 areas are:
Emotional instability
If you have BPD, you may experience a range of often intense negative emotions, such as:
You may have severe mood swings over a short space of time.
It's common for people with BPD to feel suicidal with despair, and then feel reasonably positive a few hours later. Some people feel better in the morning and some in the evening. The pattern varies, but the key sign is that your moods swing in unpredictable ways.
If you have suicidal thoughts:
If you've been diagnosed with BPD, tell someone you trust about your condition. Give this person the contact details of your care team and ask him or her to contact the team if they become concerned about your behaviour.
Disturbed patterns of thinking
Different types of thoughts can affect people with BPD, including:
These types of beliefs may be psychotic and a sign you're becoming more unwell. It's important to get help if you're struggling with delusions.
Impulsive behaviour
If you have BPD, there are 2 main types of impulses you may find extremely difficult to control:
Unstable relationships
If you have BPD, you may feel that other people abandon you when you most need them, or that they get too close and smother you.
When people fear abandonment, it can lead to feelings of intense anxiety and anger. You may make frantic efforts to prevent being left alone, such as:
Alternatively, you may feel others are smothering, controlling or crowding you, which also provokes intense fear and anger. You may then respond by acting in ways to make people go away, such as emotionally withdrawing, rejecting them or using verbal abuse.
These 2 patterns may result in an unstable "love-hate" relationship with certain people.
Many people with BPD seem to be stuck with a very rigid "black-white" view of relationships. Either a relationship is perfect and that person is wonderful, or the relationship is doomed and that person is terrible. People with BPD seem unable or unwilling to accept any sort of "grey area" in their personal life and relationships.
For many people with BPD, emotional relationships (including relationships with professional carers) involve "go away/please don't go" states of mind, which is confusing for them and their partners. Sadly, this can often lead to break-ups.
This information is taken from the NHS website CLICK HERE
In general, someone with a personality disorder will differ significantly from an average person in terms of how he or she thinks, perceives, feels or relates to others.
Symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD)
The symptoms of BPD can be grouped into 4 main areas:
- emotional instability – the psychological term for this is affective dysregulation
- disturbed patterns of thinking or perception – cognitive distortions or perceptual distortions
- impulsive behaviour
- intense but unstable relationships with others
The symptoms of a personality disorder may range from mild to severe and usually emerge in adolescence, persisting into adulthood.
Causes of borderline personality disorder (BPD)
The causes of BPD are unclear. BPD appears to result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
People with BPD come from many different backgrounds, but most will have experienced some kind of trauma or neglect as children.
When to get medical advice
If you're experiencing symptoms of BPD, make an appointment with a GP.
They may ask about:
- how you feel
- your recent behaviour
- what sort of impact your symptoms have had on your quality of life
This is to rule out other more common mental health conditions, such as depression, and to make sure there's no immediate risk to your health and wellbeing.
Treating borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Many people with BPD can benefit from psychological or medical treatment.
Treatment may involve a range of individual and group psychological therapies (psychotherapy) carried out by trained professionals working with a community mental health team (CMHT).
Effective treatment may last more than a year.
Over time, many people with BPD overcome their symptoms and recover. Additional treatment is recommended for people whose symptoms return.
Associated mental health problems
Many people with BPD also have another mental health condition or behavioural problem, such as:
- misusing alcohol
- generalised anxiety disorder
- bipolar disorder
- depression
- misusing drugs
- an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia
- another personality disorder, such as antisocial personality disorder
BPD can be a serious condition, and many people with the condition self-harm and attempt suicide
Treating borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Many people with BPD can benefit from psychological or medical treatment.
Treatment may involve a range of individual and group psychological therapies (psychotherapy) carried out by trained professionals working with a community mental health team (CMHT).
Effective treatment may last more than a year.
Over time, many people with BPD overcome their symptoms and recover. Additional treatment is recommended for people whose symptoms return.
Associated mental health problems
Many people with BPD also have another mental health condition or behavioural problem, such as:
- misusing alcohol
- generalised anxiety disorder
- bipolar disorder
- depression
- misusing drugs
- an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia
- another personality disorder, such as antisocial personality disorder
BPD can be a serious condition, and many people with the condition self-harm and attempt suicide
Symptoms - Borderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) can cause a wide range of symptoms, which can be broadly grouped into 4 main areas.
The 4 areas are:
- emotional instability – the psychological term for this is "affective dysregulation"
- disturbed patterns of thinking or perception – "cognitive distortions" or "perceptual distortions"
- impulsive behaviour
- intense but unstable relationships with others
Emotional instability
If you have BPD, you may experience a range of often intense negative emotions, such as:
- rage
- sorrow
- shame
- panic
- terror
- long-term feelings of emptiness and loneliness
You may have severe mood swings over a short space of time.
It's common for people with BPD to feel suicidal with despair, and then feel reasonably positive a few hours later. Some people feel better in the morning and some in the evening. The pattern varies, but the key sign is that your moods swing in unpredictable ways.
If you have suicidal thoughts:
- call your GP or the out-of-hours GP service. If you've taken an overdose or self-harmed, dial 999
- call the Samaritans on 116 123. This organisation provides emotional support 24 hours a day for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair
- contact a friend, family member or someone you trust
If you've been diagnosed with BPD, tell someone you trust about your condition. Give this person the contact details of your care team and ask him or her to contact the team if they become concerned about your behaviour.
Disturbed patterns of thinking
Different types of thoughts can affect people with BPD, including:
- upsetting thoughts – such as thinking you're a terrible person or feeling you do not exist. You may not be sure of these thoughts and may seek reassurance that they're not true
- brief episodes of strange experiences – such as hearing voices outside your head for minutes at a time. These may often feel like instructions to harm yourself or others. You may or may not be certain whether these are real
- prolonged episodes of abnormal experiences – where you might experience both hallucinations (voices outside your head) and distressing beliefs that no one can talk you out of (such as believing your family are secretly trying to kill you)
These types of beliefs may be psychotic and a sign you're becoming more unwell. It's important to get help if you're struggling with delusions.
Impulsive behaviour
If you have BPD, there are 2 main types of impulses you may find extremely difficult to control:
- an impulse to self-harm – such as cutting your arms with razors or burning your skin with cigarettes; in severe cases, especially if you also feel intensely sad and depressed, this impulse can lead to feeling suicidal and attempting suicide
- a strong impulse to engage in reckless and irresponsible activities – such as binge drinking, drug misuse, going on a spending or gambling spree, or having unprotected sex with strangers
Unstable relationships
If you have BPD, you may feel that other people abandon you when you most need them, or that they get too close and smother you.
When people fear abandonment, it can lead to feelings of intense anxiety and anger. You may make frantic efforts to prevent being left alone, such as:
- constantly texting or phoning a person
- suddenly calling that person in the middle of the night.
- physically clinging on to that person and refusing to let go
- making threats to harm or kill yourself if that person ever leaves you
Alternatively, you may feel others are smothering, controlling or crowding you, which also provokes intense fear and anger. You may then respond by acting in ways to make people go away, such as emotionally withdrawing, rejecting them or using verbal abuse.
These 2 patterns may result in an unstable "love-hate" relationship with certain people.
Many people with BPD seem to be stuck with a very rigid "black-white" view of relationships. Either a relationship is perfect and that person is wonderful, or the relationship is doomed and that person is terrible. People with BPD seem unable or unwilling to accept any sort of "grey area" in their personal life and relationships.
For many people with BPD, emotional relationships (including relationships with professional carers) involve "go away/please don't go" states of mind, which is confusing for them and their partners. Sadly, this can often lead to break-ups.
This information is taken from the NHS website CLICK HERE
