Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Coping
Borderline personality disorder(BPD) is a mental health condition involving challenges with mood, relationships, and self-image.Nearly 1.5% of adults in the United States have BPD, and about three-quarters of them are women.
BPD can be severe, even life-threatening. However, people who have this condition can live fulfilled, happy lives with the right treatment and coping methods. Learn about the symptoms, causes, treatments, and more.
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What Is BPD?Borderline personality disorder, or BPD, is a mental health condition involving challenges with mood, relationships, and self-image. The symptoms are often severe enough to lead to distress, prevent people from functioning at work, or harm relationships.
What Is BPD?
Borderline personality disorder, or BPD, is a mental health condition involving challenges with mood, relationships, and self-image. The symptoms are often severe enough to lead to distress, prevent people from functioning at work, or harm relationships.
Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms
People with borderline personality disorder havesymptomsthat can change quickly in response to things they experience.For example, a person with BPD may be in a good mood, laughing and interacting positively with a friend. But, if the friend accidentally says something the person with BPD perceives negatively, they may quickly become angry and no longer consider that person a friend.
Symptoms include:
What Triggers a Person With Borderline Personality Disorder?
BPD can be severe, and even life-threatening. People with BPD are at an increased risk ofsuicide, and nearly 10% will take their own lives.This can be prevented with diagnosis, treatment, and lifelong support.
Suicide Prevention HotlineIf 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.
Suicide Prevention Hotline
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.
Causes of BPD
Thecauses of borderline personality disorderare not fully understood. It is believed to be a combination of genetics, chemical imbalances in the brain, brain development issues, and your environment and experiences, especially during childhood.However, this does not mean that everyone who experiences these risk factors will develop BPD.
Risk factors of BPD include:
Borderlinepersonality disordercan be difficult todiagnose. Some of thesymptoms are similar to the symptoms of bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and major depressive disorder (MDD), and these conditions can occur together with BPD. Because of this, BPD is often diagnosed as bipolar disorder, PTSD, or MDD.
Treating BPD
Borderline personality disorder is alifelongcondition. However, with treatment, symptoms can be managed.
It is common for people with BPD to get their symptoms under control enough to be considered in remission. This is a phase where the signs and symptoms of the condition are either gone or very low, but the person still has BPD. Symptoms may return after remission, but they are usually milder.
Treatments for BPD include psychotherapy and medications.
Psychotherapy
Types of talk therapy for BPD include:
Medication
There are no medications currently approved to treat borderline personality disorder. However, medications are sometimes used to treat mental health challenges and symptoms that occur with BPD.For example, someone with both anxiety and BPD may take medications to treat theanxiety.
Medications for People With BPD
In addition to talk therapy treatment and medications for additional health challenges, there are things people with BPD can do to help cope. These include:
Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Summary
A Word From Verywell
Being diagnosed with and living with borderline personality disorder can be challenging. If you or someone you know suspects or has been diagnosed with BPD, help is available. Reach out to a healthcare provider for support. With treatment, many people with BPD live a happy, fulfilled life.
What Is Quiet Borderline Personality Disorder?
6 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.American Psychological Association.Borderline personality disorder.National Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.National Institute of Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.Paris J.Suicidality in borderline personality disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223National Health Service.Causes - Borderline personality disorder.National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder.Treatments for borderline personality disorder.
6 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.American Psychological Association.Borderline personality disorder.National Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.National Institute of Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.Paris J.Suicidality in borderline personality disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223National Health Service.Causes - Borderline personality disorder.National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder.Treatments for borderline personality disorder.
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.
American Psychological Association.Borderline personality disorder.National Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.National Institute of Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.Paris J.Suicidality in borderline personality disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223National Health Service.Causes - Borderline personality disorder.National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder.Treatments for borderline personality disorder.
American Psychological Association.Borderline personality disorder.
National Alliance on Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.
National Institute of Mental Health.Borderline personality disorder.
Paris J.Suicidality in borderline personality disorder.Medicina (Kaunas). 2019;55(6):223. doi:10.3390/medicina55060223
National Health Service.Causes - Borderline personality disorder.
National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder.Treatments for borderline personality disorder.
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