Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most common personality disorder in America, with more than 5 million people diagnosed with the disorder. The actual number may be at least twice that, many experts believe, due to misdiagnosed or undiagnosed cases.

When someone suffers from BPD, they often find it difficult to control their emotions, especially in reaction to a stressful or traumatic event. When the crisis has passed, they may struggle to regain a sense of normality and calm. They are unable to regulate their emotions and return to a stable frame of mind.

Because of this, people with BPD often have low self-esteem and they are likely to engage in impulsive actions, self-harm, and other risky, dangerous behaviors. Their personal relationships are intense and unstable. They may idealize a friend or loved one in one moment, then suddenly shift to believing that person is no longer someone they care about, or that the person no longer cares about them.

Other signs and symptoms of someone with BPD may include:

• Risky and impulsive behavior: Binge eating, going on spending or gambling sprees, quitting a good job for no reason, or sabotaging a healthy, successful relationship are all signs of BPD.
• Threats of suicide or self-harm: People with BPD often exhibit dangerous behavior such as cutting themselves, especially when they believe they are being ignored or rejected by someone they care about.
• Intense or uncontrollable anger: Engaging in inappropriate arguments or losing their temper is a common sign of BPD. Some people go so far as to getting into physical fights or being verbally abusive with others.
• Changing self-image: If someone is constantly resetting their values and goals as their opinion of themselves fluctuates from good to bad and back again, they may have BPD.
• Intense fear of abandonment: People suffering from BPD will take drastic measures to avoid feeling separated or rejected by friends or family – whether it is real or imagined.