Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is BPD?
Symptoms
Behaviors
Common Stigmas
Living With BPD
Treatment
Borderline personality disorder(BPD) is a mental health condition that affects approximately 1.4% of adults in the United States.It results in difficulty regulating emotions, and those living with BPD may suffer from severe symptoms that negatively impact their health and happiness.
This article explains what it’s like to live with BPD and how to manage symptoms and possible complications.
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
There arefour types of BPD, and with each, you may struggle with an ongoing pattern of mood instability, inconsistent behavior, self-image issues, and impulsive actions. With BPD, you may often experience intense emotions and find it hard to return to a stable baseline afterward.Relationship problems are common for people who have BPD.
BPD DemographicsWomen make up nearly 75% of those diagnosed with BPD. Studies suggestmen may be equally affected, but are often misdiagnosed withpost-traumatic stress disorderordepression.
BPD Demographics
Women make up nearly 75% of those diagnosed with BPD. Studies suggestmen may be equally affected, but are often misdiagnosed withpost-traumatic stress disorderordepression.
Symptoms of BPDvary between people and can fluctuate over time. Some people experience many symptoms, while others experience only a few.
Symptoms of BPD include:
Triggers of BPD Symptoms
Help Is AvailableIf you or someone you know are having suicidal thoughts, dial988to contact the988 Suicide & Crisis Lifelineand connect with a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.If you or a loved one is struggling with borderline personality disorder, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Help Is Available
If you or someone you know are having suicidal thoughts, dial988to contact the988 Suicide & Crisis Lifelineand connect with a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.If you or a loved one is struggling with borderline personality disorder, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
If you or someone you know are having suicidal thoughts, dial988to contact the988 Suicide & Crisis Lifelineand connect with a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.
If you or a loved one is struggling with borderline personality disorder, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
Behaviors Associated With BPD
BPD symptoms affect many aspects of everyday life as people have trouble controlling their anger, caring for themselves, and building or maintaining healthy relationships.
What is the Life Expectancy of Someone With BPD?People living with BPD are at elevated risk of premature death. A study that followed 290 people across a quarter century, evaluating every two years, found a significantly higher risk of suicide in the BPD group. But 14% of people with BPD had early deaths from other causes too, while the rate was just 5.5% in the comparison group.A precise life expectancy depends on many factors, including other health conditions likeobesityor alcohol and drug misuse.
What is the Life Expectancy of Someone With BPD?
People living with BPD are at elevated risk of premature death. A study that followed 290 people across a quarter century, evaluating every two years, found a significantly higher risk of suicide in the BPD group. But 14% of people with BPD had early deaths from other causes too, while the rate was just 5.5% in the comparison group.A precise life expectancy depends on many factors, including other health conditions likeobesityor alcohol and drug misuse.
People who have mental illnesses often facestigmas, meaning others make assumptions about things they can and cannot do.
BPD is one of the most misunderstood,misdiagnosed, and stigmatized mental health conditions. People with BPD face stigmas such as beliefs that they are:
These stigmas are not just hurtful, they are harmful to people with BPD, especially when they occur within the healthcare system.
People with BPD experience structural stigma and stigma from individual healthcare providers. One study found that over 80% of mental health providers viewed people with BPD as more difficult to treat than those with other illnesses.
These misleading and harmful beliefs affect the quality of care people with BPD receive and can lead to problems such as:
To counter the stigma within society and medical environments, it’s important to provide people with education about mental illness and introduce them to the experiences of those who have BPD.
Providing psychoeducation and training to healthcare providers, mental health professionals, and the families of people with BPD is also an effective way to stop stigmatizing those with the condition.
BPD and Other Mental Health ConditionsPeople with BPD commonly have co-existing mental health disorders, which can mimic or hide the symptoms of BPD and make it difficult to make a diagnosis. These include:Bipolar disorderDepressionEating disordersPost-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)Gambling addictionSocial phobiaSubstance use disorders
BPD and Other Mental Health Conditions
People with BPD commonly have co-existing mental health disorders, which can mimic or hide the symptoms of BPD and make it difficult to make a diagnosis. These include:Bipolar disorderDepressionEating disordersPost-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)Gambling addictionSocial phobiaSubstance use disorders
People with BPD commonly have co-existing mental health disorders, which can mimic or hide the symptoms of BPD and make it difficult to make a diagnosis. These include:
Tips for Living With BPD
BPD affects many areas of a person’s life. Despite the difficulties this creates, there are measures that can be taken to make it easier to manage.
At Work
It can be difficult for people with BPD to gain and maintain employment, despite the desire to work.
A 2019 study suggests that further research into how reducing symptoms, addressing stigma, and increasing support for employment could improve success in the workplace for people with BPD.
A job preparedness pilot project involving a program called “The Connections Place” showed great promise. It was aimed at helping people with BPD overcome emotional barriers to employment and preparing them to enter/reenter the workplace.
While no job or career path is specifically “best” for all people with BPD, there are things to consider in regard to BPD when looking for employment:
Relationships
Relationship difficulties are a hallmark of BPD, but that doesn’t mean people with BPD can’t have fulfilling relationships.
Earlydiagnosisandtreatmentof BPD can help improve the person’s ability to form stable relationships.
Should you tell people you have BPD?The decision whether or not to tell people you have BPD is yours alone. It is recommended that you tell close family, friends, and people you trust, as your symptoms are likely to affect them. They can also support you and be involved in your treatment.
Should you tell people you have BPD?
The decision whether or not to tell people you have BPD is yours alone. It is recommended that you tell close family, friends, and people you trust, as your symptoms are likely to affect them. They can also support you and be involved in your treatment.
Therapy that includes partners, family members, and loved ones can help improve relationships for people with BPD.Therapy that helps people with BPD understand the perspectives of others can also be a way to strengthen relationships.
How to Handle Borderline Personality Disorder in Relationships
Self-Image
Internalized stigma can cause people with BPD to feel guilt and shame.
Learning to identify thoughts and emotions, use coping strategies, and understand themselves can help a person with BPD develop a stronger sense of self. This fosters a desire and willingness to engage in the recovery process and can improve treatment outcomes.
Physical Health
Studies have shown that without adequate treatment, people with BPD are more likely to have other chronic medical or mental health conditions and less likely to make healthy lifestyle choices.
How BPD Manifests at Different Ages
BPD presents across the lifespan and may be thought of in stages:
Not everyone with BPD follows this pattern. Other trajectories are possible.
Adolescence
BPD tends to first manifest in adolescence. A reliable BPD diagnosis can be made in adolescents as young as 11 years old.
According to theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5), the American Psychiatric Association’s handbook for diagnosing mental health conditions, BPD can be diagnosed in people under the age of 18 if symptoms are:
BPD symptoms can be distinguished from typical adolescent development. Some studies have shown that 30% of adults with BPD report having engaged in self-harm before the age of 13, while another 30% say they started this behavior between the ages of 13 and 17.
For adolescents without mental illness, impulsivity, identity issues, and affective instability typically diminish over the course of adolescence. For adolescents with BPD, these symptoms tend to increase over time.
Prevalence rates of BPD in adolescents vary widely. Regardless, education around BPD should be given to professionals who work with adolescents, such as youth and social workers, and school health staff.
Adulthood
Adults with BPD may see a switch from the symptoms of impulsivity and suicidality predominantly seen in adolescence, to symptoms of maladaptive (negative) interpersonal functioning and enduring functional impairments.
Studies show diagnoses of full BPD generally decrease from young to middle adulthood, but relapse after remission is common.
Older Adults
BPD is understudied in people over age 50, limiting the understanding of BPD in late life. Studies suggest a decline in BPD from middle adulthood to advanced age.
Symptoms such as impulsivity, rule-breaking, and emotional turmoil may decline, while fear of abandonment, selfishness, and lack of empathy may remain.
The loss of a spouse/partner or a transition to a nursing home/assisted living facility may contribute to a late-onset exacerbation of symptoms of apersonality disorder. This may be related to the loss of social support, which had previously helped compensate for symptoms, and/or a renewed fear of abandonment.
More research is necessary to gain accurate information on the prevalence and presentation of BPD in older adults.
Choosing the Right Healthcare ProviderIt’s important to choose a healthcare and treatment provider, such as a therapist, who is:Appropriately trained in evidence-based, specialized BPD treatmentA good fit for the person with BPD, allowing them to feel comfortable and trusting
Choosing the Right Healthcare Provider
It’s important to choose a healthcare and treatment provider, such as a therapist, who is:Appropriately trained in evidence-based, specialized BPD treatmentA good fit for the person with BPD, allowing them to feel comfortable and trusting
It’s important to choose a healthcare and treatment provider, such as a therapist, who is:
Treatment Options
While BPD has a reputation for being difficult to treat, newer, evidence-based treatments are offering people with BPD improved quality of life with fewer and less severe symptoms.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy (talk therapy) is the most-used treatment for BPD. It can be done individually or in a group setting.
Psychotherapies used to treat BPD include:
Medication
Medication is not typically used as a treatment for BPD but may be prescribed if other mental health conditions are present, or to treat symptoms, such as:
Summary
BPD is often stigmatized, frequently in health care. Healthcare workers and mental health professionals should receive training to combat this stigma. BPD is typically treated with psychotherapy, but medication may be prescribed if necessary.
19 Sources
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