Overview

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition that significantly impacts an individual's thoughts, emotions, and behavior, leading to challenges in daily functioning. People with BPD often struggle with self-image, emotion regulation, and maintaining stable relationships.

Individuals with BPD experience an intense fear of abandonment or instability, making it difficult for them to tolerate being alone. However, their impulsiveness, inappropriate anger, and frequent mood swings can push others away, despite their desire for loving and lasting relationships.

BPD typically emerges in early adulthood and may worsen during young adulthood, but it can improve gradually with age.

Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder

BPD affects how individuals feel about themselves, their relationships with others, and their behavior. Common signs and symptoms include:

• An intense fear of abandonment, leading to extreme measures to avoid separation or rejection, real or imagined.
• A pattern of unstable, intense relationships, characterized by idealization of others one moment and then sudden beliefs that the person doesn't care enough or is cruel.
• Rapid changes in self-identity and self-image, including shifting goals and values and feeling as if one is inherently bad or non-existent.
• Episodes of stress-related paranoia and loss of contact with reality, lasting from minutes to hours.
• Engaging in impulsive and risky behaviors, such as gambling, reckless driving, unsafe sex, binge eating, drug abuse, or sabotaging successful relationships or jobs.
• Displaying suicidal threats, self-injury, or self-harming behavior in response to fears of separation or rejection.
• Experiencing wide mood swings lasting hours to days, with intense happiness, irritability, shame, or anxiety.
• Feeling a chronic sense of emptiness.
• Expressing inappropriate, intense anger, frequently losing temper, being sarcastic or bitter, or engaging in physical fights.

When to Seek Professional Help

If you recognize any of the signs or symptoms of BPD in yourself, it's essential to talk to your doctor or a mental health provider.

If you have suicidal thoughts: Seek help immediately by:

• Calling 911 or your local emergency number.
• Contacting a suicide hotline, such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. (call or text 988) or using the Lifeline Chat.
• Reaching out to your mental health provider, doctor, or other healthcare professional.
• Contacting a loved one, close friend, trusted peer, co-worker, or someone from your faith community.

If you notice signs or symptoms in a family member or friend, encourage them to see a doctor or mental health provider. However, remember that you can't force someone to seek help, and seeking therapy for yourself can be helpful if dealing with stress from the relationship.

Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder

The exact causes of BPD are not fully understood. It may be linked to:

• Genetics: Some studies suggest a hereditary predisposition, with personality disorders possibly inherited or strongly associated with other mental health disorders in family members.
• Brain abnormalities: Research has shown changes in certain brain areas involved in emotion regulation, impulsivity, and aggression. Additionally, brain chemicals like serotonin, responsible for mood regulation, may not function correctly.

Risk Factors

Several factors related to personality development may increase the risk of developing BPD:

• Hereditary predisposition: A higher risk may be present if a close relative, such as a parent or sibling, has the same or a similar disorder.
• Stressful childhood: Many individuals with BPD report a history of sexual or physical abuse, neglect, or separation from a caregiver. Exposure to hostile conflict and unstable family relationships may also contribute to the development of BPD.

Complications

BPD can have significant negative effects on various aspects of life, leading to complications such as:

• Repeated job changes or losses
• Incomplete education
• Legal issues and jail time
• Conflict-filled relationships, marital stress, or divorce
• Self-injury, frequent hospitalizations, and involvement in abusive relationships
• Engaging in impulsive and risky behaviors leading to unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, motor vehicle accidents, and physical fights
• Increased risk of other mental health disorders, such as depression, substance misuse, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, PTSD, ADHD, or other personality disorders

It's important to remember that with proper treatment and support, many individuals with BPD can experience improvement over time and lead fulfilling lives.

For any concerns or questions related to borderline personality disorder, it is advisable to seek professional guidance from healthcare providers or mental health professionals.