Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSigns and SymptomsEmotional CharacteristicsInterpersonal RelationshipsBehaviorsCognition and Self-CognitionSelf-Harm and SuicideOther Personality Disorders
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Signs and Symptoms
Emotional Characteristics
Interpersonal Relationships
Behaviors
Cognition and Self-Cognition
Self-Harm and Suicide
Other Personality Disorders
BPD is strongly associated with a history of childhood trauma, PTSD, and a family history of mental illness and/or substance abuse. Recent research shows thatBPD affects menand women equally, but it is commonly misdiagnosed as PTSD or depression in men.
The prevalence of borderline personality disorder is 1.6% in the general population, with a lifetime prevalence of 5.9%.However, studies show there is a high variability across genders.
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A hallmark of borderline personality disorder is emotional and relational instability. Symptoms of BPD include:
A diagnosis of BPD is based on the presence of at least five of these symptoms. Additionally, these symptoms would need to impede function in multiple compartments of life.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call911.
Affective instability, a core feature of BPD, refers to the tendency to experience rapid and intense mood swings that are difficult to control.It manifests with often excessive reactions to relatively small stimuli, and a slow return to the baseline emotional state. People with BPD “feel” with high intensity—whether they be positive emotions or negative ones.
It’s not uncommon for people with BPD to feel suicidal despair and then feel very differently a few hours later. Some people may feel better in the morning, and some in the evening.
People with BPD are also prone to dysphoria (a generalized unease or dissatisfaction with life) and depression. Their thoughts tend to turn inward (internalization), meaning they try to hide their true and full feelings from others.
Instability of interpersonal relationships in people with borderline personality disorder can be attributed to their hypersensitivity to rejection and extreme fear of abandonment, as well as alternating between experiencing others as all good or all bad. These feelings can prompt a person with BPD to engage in extreme behaviors to try and prevent abandonment, including:
Alternatively, fear of abandonment may prompt a person with BPD to preemptively cut off communications with others in anticipation of abandonment.
People with BPD can exhibit insecurity, ambivalence, and/or avoidant behaviors in relationships—working towards a primary goal of not being rejected. They may feel that others are smothering or controlling them, causing them to emotionally withdraw from a relationship or acting in ways to make others go away. This often results in a love-hate relationship with others.
Many people with BPD also seem to be stuck with a very rigid “black-white” view of relationships. Either a relationship is perfect and a person is wonderful, or the relationship is doomed and a person is terrible.They seem unable to tolerate any gray areas.
The behaviors of people with borderline personality disorder can be described as excessive, impulsive, and self-damaging. These can include:
Dissociation refers to the feeling of being cut off or disconnected and detached from oneself (depersonalization) and one’s surroundings (derealization). In this state, a person is removed or distanced from feelings, thoughts, and memories. This can happen under stress in BPD. The experience may feed into the unstable sense of self and belonging that is characteristic of borderline personality disorder.
Self-harm, or non-suicidal self-injury, typically involves cutting. It is used as a means to redirect or release overwhelming emotions creating severe internal distress. Research suggests that cutting redirects the person to physical pain in effort to blunt the emotional pain, but does not reflect a wish to die.
Borderline personality disorder shares many symptoms with other psychiatric disorders.
Differences in symptoms between BPD and other disorders include:
A Word From Verywell
While the symptoms of borderline personality disorder can be distressing and disabling, studies show that they generally improve over time.Treatment for this condition is not only available, but it is also extremely effective. In fact, the rate of remission tends to increase with each subsequent year of psychotherapy treatment in people with BPD. This means staying the course is an effective way to reduce overall symptoms and restore normal functioning.
18 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health. Health Topics.Borderline Personality Disorder.National Institute of Mental Health.What is Borderline Personality Disorder?National Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline Personality Disorder.National Institute of Mental Health. Statistics.Personality Disorders.Qian X, Townsend ML, Tan WJ, Grenyer BFS.Sex differences in borderline personality disorder: A scoping review. Doering S, ed.PLoS ONE. 2022;17(12):e0279015. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0279015Brüne M.Borderline Personality Disorder: Why ‘fast and furious’?Evol Med Public Health. 2016 Feb 28;2016(1):52-66. doi: 10.1093/emph/eow002Richetin J, Preti E, Costantini G, De Panfilis C.The centrality of affective instability and identity in Borderline Personality Disorder: Evidence from network analysis. PLoS One. 2017 Oct 17;12(10):e0186695. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186695National Health Service.Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms.The Cleveland Clinic.Borderline Personality Disorder: Why Relationships Are a Struggle and How to Get Help.Krause-Utz A, Erol E, Brousianou AV, Cackowski S, Paret C, Ende G, Elzinga B.Self-reported impulsivity in women with borderline personality disorder: the role of childhood maltreatment severity and emotion regulation difficulties.Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2019 Mar 5;6:6. doi: 10.1186/s40479-019-0101-8Krause-Utz A, Sobanski E, Alm B, Valerius G, Kleindienst N, Bohus M, Schmahl C.Impulsivity in relation to stress in patients with borderline personality disorder with and without co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: an exploratory study.J Nerv Ment Dis. 2013 Feb;201(2):116-23. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e31827f6462Paris J.Suicidality in Borderline Personality Disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223.xNational Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder: What’s the Difference?Josephine A Beatson and Sathya Rao.Depression and borderline personality disorder.Med J Aust. 2013;199(6): S24-S27. doi: 10.5694/mja12.10474.xOffice on Women’s Health.Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Schmalenberger KM, Owens SA, Peters JR, Dawson DN, Girdler SS.Perimenstrual exacerbation of symptoms in borderline personality disorder: evidence from multilevel models and the Carolina Premenstrual Assessment Scoring System.Psychol Med. 2018;48(12):2085-2095. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718001253.xMedlinePlus.Paranoid personality disorder.Biskin RS.The lifetime course of borderline personality disorder.Can J Psychiatry. 2015;60(7):303-308. doi:10.1177/070674371506000702
18 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health. Health Topics.Borderline Personality Disorder.National Institute of Mental Health.What is Borderline Personality Disorder?National Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline Personality Disorder.National Institute of Mental Health. Statistics.Personality Disorders.Qian X, Townsend ML, Tan WJ, Grenyer BFS.Sex differences in borderline personality disorder: A scoping review. Doering S, ed.PLoS ONE. 2022;17(12):e0279015. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0279015Brüne M.Borderline Personality Disorder: Why ‘fast and furious’?Evol Med Public Health. 2016 Feb 28;2016(1):52-66. doi: 10.1093/emph/eow002Richetin J, Preti E, Costantini G, De Panfilis C.The centrality of affective instability and identity in Borderline Personality Disorder: Evidence from network analysis. PLoS One. 2017 Oct 17;12(10):e0186695. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186695National Health Service.Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms.The Cleveland Clinic.Borderline Personality Disorder: Why Relationships Are a Struggle and How to Get Help.Krause-Utz A, Erol E, Brousianou AV, Cackowski S, Paret C, Ende G, Elzinga B.Self-reported impulsivity in women with borderline personality disorder: the role of childhood maltreatment severity and emotion regulation difficulties.Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2019 Mar 5;6:6. doi: 10.1186/s40479-019-0101-8Krause-Utz A, Sobanski E, Alm B, Valerius G, Kleindienst N, Bohus M, Schmahl C.Impulsivity in relation to stress in patients with borderline personality disorder with and without co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: an exploratory study.J Nerv Ment Dis. 2013 Feb;201(2):116-23. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e31827f6462Paris J.Suicidality in Borderline Personality Disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223.xNational Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder: What’s the Difference?Josephine A Beatson and Sathya Rao.Depression and borderline personality disorder.Med J Aust. 2013;199(6): S24-S27. doi: 10.5694/mja12.10474.xOffice on Women’s Health.Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Schmalenberger KM, Owens SA, Peters JR, Dawson DN, Girdler SS.Perimenstrual exacerbation of symptoms in borderline personality disorder: evidence from multilevel models and the Carolina Premenstrual Assessment Scoring System.Psychol Med. 2018;48(12):2085-2095. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718001253.xMedlinePlus.Paranoid personality disorder.Biskin RS.The lifetime course of borderline personality disorder.Can J Psychiatry. 2015;60(7):303-308. doi:10.1177/070674371506000702
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Mental Health. Health Topics.Borderline Personality Disorder.National Institute of Mental Health.What is Borderline Personality Disorder?National Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline Personality Disorder.National Institute of Mental Health. Statistics.Personality Disorders.Qian X, Townsend ML, Tan WJ, Grenyer BFS.Sex differences in borderline personality disorder: A scoping review. Doering S, ed.PLoS ONE. 2022;17(12):e0279015. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0279015Brüne M.Borderline Personality Disorder: Why ‘fast and furious’?Evol Med Public Health. 2016 Feb 28;2016(1):52-66. doi: 10.1093/emph/eow002Richetin J, Preti E, Costantini G, De Panfilis C.The centrality of affective instability and identity in Borderline Personality Disorder: Evidence from network analysis. PLoS One. 2017 Oct 17;12(10):e0186695. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186695National Health Service.Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms.The Cleveland Clinic.Borderline Personality Disorder: Why Relationships Are a Struggle and How to Get Help.Krause-Utz A, Erol E, Brousianou AV, Cackowski S, Paret C, Ende G, Elzinga B.Self-reported impulsivity in women with borderline personality disorder: the role of childhood maltreatment severity and emotion regulation difficulties.Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2019 Mar 5;6:6. doi: 10.1186/s40479-019-0101-8Krause-Utz A, Sobanski E, Alm B, Valerius G, Kleindienst N, Bohus M, Schmahl C.Impulsivity in relation to stress in patients with borderline personality disorder with and without co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: an exploratory study.J Nerv Ment Dis. 2013 Feb;201(2):116-23. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e31827f6462Paris J.Suicidality in Borderline Personality Disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223.xNational Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder: What’s the Difference?Josephine A Beatson and Sathya Rao.Depression and borderline personality disorder.Med J Aust. 2013;199(6): S24-S27. doi: 10.5694/mja12.10474.xOffice on Women’s Health.Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Schmalenberger KM, Owens SA, Peters JR, Dawson DN, Girdler SS.Perimenstrual exacerbation of symptoms in borderline personality disorder: evidence from multilevel models and the Carolina Premenstrual Assessment Scoring System.Psychol Med. 2018;48(12):2085-2095. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718001253.xMedlinePlus.Paranoid personality disorder.Biskin RS.The lifetime course of borderline personality disorder.Can J Psychiatry. 2015;60(7):303-308. doi:10.1177/070674371506000702
National Institute of Mental Health. Health Topics.Borderline Personality Disorder.
National Institute of Mental Health.What is Borderline Personality Disorder?
National Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline Personality Disorder.
National Institute of Mental Health. Statistics.Personality Disorders.
Qian X, Townsend ML, Tan WJ, Grenyer BFS.Sex differences in borderline personality disorder: A scoping review. Doering S, ed.PLoS ONE. 2022;17(12):e0279015. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0279015
Brüne M.Borderline Personality Disorder: Why ‘fast and furious’?Evol Med Public Health. 2016 Feb 28;2016(1):52-66. doi: 10.1093/emph/eow002
Richetin J, Preti E, Costantini G, De Panfilis C.The centrality of affective instability and identity in Borderline Personality Disorder: Evidence from network analysis. PLoS One. 2017 Oct 17;12(10):e0186695. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186695
National Health Service.Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms.
The Cleveland Clinic.Borderline Personality Disorder: Why Relationships Are a Struggle and How to Get Help.
Krause-Utz A, Erol E, Brousianou AV, Cackowski S, Paret C, Ende G, Elzinga B.Self-reported impulsivity in women with borderline personality disorder: the role of childhood maltreatment severity and emotion regulation difficulties.Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2019 Mar 5;6:6. doi: 10.1186/s40479-019-0101-8
Krause-Utz A, Sobanski E, Alm B, Valerius G, Kleindienst N, Bohus M, Schmahl C.Impulsivity in relation to stress in patients with borderline personality disorder with and without co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: an exploratory study.J Nerv Ment Dis. 2013 Feb;201(2):116-23. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e31827f6462
Paris J.Suicidality in Borderline Personality Disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223.x
National Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder: What’s the Difference?
Josephine A Beatson and Sathya Rao.Depression and borderline personality disorder.Med J Aust. 2013;199(6): S24-S27. doi: 10.5694/mja12.10474.x
Office on Women’s Health.Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Schmalenberger KM, Owens SA, Peters JR, Dawson DN, Girdler SS.Perimenstrual exacerbation of symptoms in borderline personality disorder: evidence from multilevel models and the Carolina Premenstrual Assessment Scoring System.Psychol Med. 2018;48(12):2085-2095. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718001253.x
MedlinePlus.Paranoid personality disorder.
Biskin RS.The lifetime course of borderline personality disorder.Can J Psychiatry. 2015;60(7):303-308. doi:10.1177/070674371506000702
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