Borderline personality disorder is a complex mental health condition typically characterized by intense emotional instability, fear of abandonment and impulsive behavior. If left untreated, these symptoms can lead to significant challenges in your relationships and quality of life.
Who Does BPD Affect?
While women in early adulthood are more likely to receive a BPD diagnosis, this disorder can affect all gender identities equally. The variances between how men and women experience symptoms and seek treatment underscore the need for increased awareness and support across all demographics.
Anyone can develop BPD, but your odds increase if you have a family history of this condition or related mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, or eating disorders. Genetic components, environmental factors and individual differences in brain chemistry can also add to your likelihood of experiencing BPD symptoms at some point in your life.
BPD vs. Bipolar Disorder
BPD and bipolar disorder both lead to impulsivity and emotional volatility. According to the DSM-5-TR, the primary difference lies in the classification – BPD is a personality disorder, while bipolar disorder is a mood disorder.
BPD generally features more persistent instability in relationships, self-image and emotions. Stressful interactions or conflicts can trigger intense emotional responses in people with BPD, including self-harm or suicidal behavior.
Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms
If you live with BPD, you may exhibit a range of symptoms that drastically impact your mental and emotional health.
- Fear of abandonment: Worries about being left alone can trigger intense actions to avoid real or imagined separation.
- Lopsided relationships: A pattern of unstable and intense relationships, swinging between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
- Black-and-white thinking: Seeing things or people in extremes, with no middle ground.
- Unclear self-image: A poorly defined identity that can fluctuate widely, depending on the situation.
- Impulsivity: Engaging in harmful, spur-of-the-moment behaviors like substance abuse, reckless driving or overspending.
- Emotional swings: Rapid cycling between angry outbursts, persistent emptiness, shame or depression, often in reaction to interpersonal stress.
- Paranoia: Temporary feelings of paranoia or dissociative feelings, especially under stress.
Treatment Strategies for BPD
Managing BPD requires acknowledging the condition as a serious and persistent mental health issue that won’t resolve on its own. While there is no cure for BPD, you can learn to manage it.
- Therapy: A therapist can teach you coping strategies to regulate your emotions, improve your relationships and handle distress.
- Medication: While no medication specifically treats BPD, a doctor may prescribe you one or more stabilizing drugs that alleviate co-occurring mood swings or depression.
- Comprehensive treatment plans: Given that BPD frequently co-occurs with issues like substance abuse or other mental health disorders, a holistic approach that addresses both components of a dual diagnosis is vital.
Become Your Best Self
New Found Life has provided a complete continuum of care in Long Beach for three decades. Whether you live in California or plan to travel from a different state to receive treatment, we are here to answer your questions about our programming, verify your insurance coverage and learn how we can help you heal.