Approximately 1.4 percent of adults in the United States have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.
Have you ever wondered if you or someone you love struggles with this mental health condition? Read on to learn more about BPD, including 10 tell-tale signs that you may be dealing with it.
What is BPD?
Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental illness characterized by frequently varying moods, self-image, and behavior.
People with BPD tend to experience intense periods of anger, depression, and/or anxiety. These periods can last anywhere from a few hours to several days, and they can have serious outcomes, including impulsive behavior and relationship problems.
What causes BPD?
Researchers don’t know exactly what causes BPD. However, they have determined some risk factors of the condition, including the following:
Family History
If someone has a close family member (a parent, grandparent, sibling, etc.) with BPD, they may face a bigger risk of developing it themselves.
Brain Factors
Some researchers have noted that people with BPD can have structural and functional alterations in their brains, particularly in areas associated with impulse control and emotional regulation. It’s unclear, though, whether BPD causes these alterations or if the alterations contribute to BPD development.
Environmental, Cultural, and Social Factors
It’s common for people with BPD to report experiencing traumatic life events. This includes abuse, abandonment, childhood adversity, and unstable relationships.
10 Signs of BPD
Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed mental health disorders. It’s also one of the most heavily stigmatized, which can further prevent people who are struggling from seeking help and getting appropriate treatment.
The following are some of the most common warning signs of BPD:
1. Fear of Abandonment
People with BPD often report struggling with a fear of abandonment or being left alone. Even if their partner comes home a few minutes late from work, that can be enough to trigger their fear and send them spiraling.
They may react by going above and beyond to keep their loved one close, doing everything from begging and crying to tracking the person’s movements on their phone, or even blocking them from leaving the house altogether.
2. Instability in Relationships
After reading about how people with BPD can behave when they’re struggling with a fear of abandonment, it likely makes sense to you why they may struggle with instability in their relationships.
Those who are dealing with BPD may have a lot of short, intense relationships. They also tend to view their relationships in extremes; either everything is perfect or everything is falling apart.
This can cause partners to feel like they have emotional whiplash, and they may get frustrated and end the relationship soon after it begins.
3. An Unclear or Frequently Shifting Self-Image
A classic characteristic of BPD is a frequently shifting sense of self. Sometimes, people with BPD see themselves as good and lovable. In other instances, they hate themselves or think that they’re the worst person on the planet.
It’s hard for people with BPD to get clear on who they are and what they want or value. This can cause them to change careers and goals frequently. They may cycle through friends, lovers, and hobbies very quickly, too.
4. Impulsivity and Self-Destructiveness
Impulsive and sometimes self-destructive behaviors are common among those with BPD. When they’re feeling hurt or upset, in particular, they’re often prone to acting out in ways that negatively affect them later.
Someone with BPD may be impulsive with money, for example, buying things they can’t afford and don’t need. They may engage in other risky behaviors, such as reckless driving, shoplifting, unsafe sex, and drug or alcohol consumption.
5. Self-Harm
In addition to engaging in self-destructive behaviors, someone who has BPD may engage in self-harm behaviors, too.
Common self-harm behaviors include cutting and burning. However, any type of behavior that is meant to harm but is not done with suicidal intent also falls into this category.
It’s also important to note that BPD may contribute to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. In fact, up to 10 percent of BPD patients will die by suicide.
6. Extreme Mood Swings
One of the first indicators of BPD is extreme mood swings.
At one moment, a person with BPD may feel perfectly happy and content. In the next, they may be struggling with feelings of complete despair and hopelessness.
Small issues and inconveniences can trigger these mood swings. Something minor that others could easily brush off may be the last straw.
It’s important to note that the mood swings associated with BPD are different from other types of mood swings. They tend to be short-lived and intense, unlike the longer mood-lasting mood swings associated with bipolar disorder and depression.
7. Feelings of Emptiness
In addition to intense mood swings, people with BPD also tend to struggle with feelings of emptiness. They may report feeling as though there’s a hole inside of them or that they’re “hollow.”
In extreme cases, BPD may cause you to feel as though you’re nothing or nobody at all. When this happens, people sometimes try to fill the void in unhealthy ways, such as overeating, having unprotected sex, or abusing drugs or alcohol.
8. Short Temper
BPD is often characterized by a short temper.
People who struggle with this condition may find that they get angry at the drop of a hat and have a hard time regulating their responses to minor slights and inconveniences. They may get into fights often or act out in irrational ways (throwing things, breaking things, harming others, etc.).
It’s worth noting, too, that the anger and short temper that people with BPD struggle with isn’t always projected outward. They may struggle with intense anger at themselves, which could eventually lead to self-harm or self-destructive behavior.
9. Dissociation
Dissociation occurs when people lose touch with reality. They may feel spaced out or as though they’re viewing themselves from outside of their own bodies.
Dissociation often results from severe stress, and people with BPD may be more prone to it than others. This is particularly likely if they’re also struggling with an unclear sense of self.
10. Paranoia
Paranoia is common among BPD patients, too. They may feel as though everyone is out to get them, and they might also be suspicious of people’s motives. This includes the motives of those who are close to them, such as friends, family members, and therapists.
How is BPD diagnosed and treated?
Having some of the symptoms listed above does not guarantee that you have BPD. If you suspect that you may be struggling, though, you should speak to a licensed therapist, who can offer testing and provide you with a formal diagnosis.
There is not a cure for Borderline Personality Disorder. However, the symptoms of this condition can be managed very well with therapy.
Therapy for BPD can take place in a traditional clinic setting, or it may be offered at a hospital or rehabilitation facility. The following are some examples of talk therapy used for BPD management:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (or DBT for short) is specifically designed to treat BPD (although it can be used for other mental health conditions as well). DBT involves both group and individual therapy and helps you learn how to manage your emotions, handle stress in healthy ways, and improve your relationships.
Schema-Focused Therapy
Schema-focused therapy can take place both individually and in a group setting. It’s designed to help you identify unmet needs and see how they’ve contributed to negative life patterns.
Once you’ve identified these things, you’ll be able to change your patterns and handle stressful situations in healthier ways.
Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT)
Mentalization-based therapy helps you to identify your thoughts and feelings. It then teaches you how to create alternative perspectives of the situations. The goal is to help you learn how to pause and think before you react.
Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem-Solving (STEPSS)
Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem-Solving is a 20-week treatment protocol.
During this treatment, you work in groups that consist of family members, caregivers, friends, and/or significant others. It’s often used alongside other types of therapy.
Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP)
Transference-focused psychotherapy is also known as psychodynamic therapy. It helps you to understand your emotions and your interpersonal challenges. Once you know these things, you can look at situations more objectively and avoid extreme reactions when they’re not warranted.
Additional Treatments
Beyond psychotherapy, some people with BPD may also use medications to manage their symptoms.
There are no medications specifically designed to treat BPD. However, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and other mood stabilizers can still be helpful to them in some cases.
In severe situations, hospitalization may be necessary. This is most common when someone is at risk of self-harm or is having suicidal thoughts.
Get Help for BPD Today
Do you suspect that you or a loved one is dealing with Borderline Personality Disorder? If so, spending time at a recovery center for mental health may be helpful.
Tikvah Lake offers recovery through private, personalized treatment for BPD, addiction, and other mental health conditions. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
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