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Borderline Personality Disorder

Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder is associated with unstable mood and impulsive behaviours, which can significantly affect a person’s everyday life and how they interact with others.1

borderline personality disorder overview

Borderline personality disorder is a type of personality disorder in which the affected person experiences periods of intense, unstable mood, impulsive behaviour and disturbed patterns of thinking or perception.1 This can result in impulsive actions and relationship problems with friends and family, affecting a person’s ability to cope with everyday life.1,2

 

Borderline personality disorder is a serious condition, associated with self-harm and suicide attempts.1 Up to one in ten people with the disorder will complete suicide.3

Facts about Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder is a type of personality disorder in which people experience periods of intense, unstable mood and behaviour.1

Up to one in ten people with borderline personality disorder complete suicide.3

Symptoms

People with borderline personality disorder are very sensitive to changes in their environment and can react severely and inappropriately to these changes. They may, for example, be afraid of being abandoned by someone close to them. If someone they are expecting arrives a few minutes late, their feelings toward the person may very quickly shift from affection to dislike or anger.3 This reflects a person with borderline personality disorder’s extreme view of the world, seeing things and people – including themselves – as being either all good or all bad.4

 

A person with borderline personality disorder will frequently be unsure how they feel about themselves, suddenly changing their goals in life and opinions about their career, values, and friends.3 They may engage in impulsive and often dangerous behaviours such as spending sprees, reckless driving, and substance abuse.3 They may feel intense and inappropriate anger, or feelings of emptiness, and self-harm is common.2 People with borderline personality disorder may also experience feelings of depression and anxiety.4

Facts about Borderline Personality Disorder

In the UK, borderline personality disorder is present in just under 1% of the population.5

Symptoms of a personality disorder most commonly emerge in adolescence.1

Epidemiology and burden

Estimates of the proportion of people who have borderline personality disorder vary from less than 1% to around 6%.5,6 Borderline personality disorder affects a roughly equal number of men and women but appears to be more disabling in women.6

 

Symptoms of borderline personality disorder most commonly emerge in adolescence.1 The disorder is most problematic and harmful in young adults, and tends to improve as people get older.3 Symptoms can exist for a person’s whole life, but most people with borderline personality disorder have more stable work and home lives by the time they reach their 30s and 40s.3

 

Borderline personality disorder can put a significant burden on both the person with the disorder and their carers or loved ones, who may ultimately develop mental health problems of their own.7
 

Diagnosis and care

Borderline personality disorder is diagnosed by a health professional using interviews and discussions about symptoms and medical history.8

 

Psychotherapy can help people with borderline personality disorder by, for example, teaching them how to interact with others and to express their thoughts and feelings more clearly. The aim of therapy is to help people get a better sense of control over their thoughts and feelings.9 It may also be beneficial for caregivers and family members of those affected to receive therapy and guidance on how best to care for a person with borderline personality disorder.4

 

There is currently no cure, but one study showed that, after 10 years, 50% of people (n=209) with borderline personality disorder had recovered, were able to function at work and maintain personal relationships.10

Charity Links

The work that UK charities undertake, helps to provide patients with access to support, information and education.

  1. NHS Overview Guide: Borderline personality disorder. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/overview/ [Accessed March 2022]
  2. NHS Symptoms Guide: Borderline personality disorder. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/symptoms/ [Accessed March 2022]
  3. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2013
  4. National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) Borderline Personality Disorder Guide. Available at https://www.nimh.nih.gov/sites/default/files/documents/health/publications/borderline-personality-disorder/borderlinepersonalitydis-508-qf-17-4928.pdf [Accessed March 2022]
  5. NICE CG78. Borderline personality disorder: recognition and management. 2009. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg78/resources/borderline-personality-disorder-recognition-and-management-pdf-975635141317 [Accessed March 2022]
  6. Grant BF, et al. J Clin Psychiatry. 2008;69(4):533–545
  7. Bailey RC, Grenyer BFS. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2013;21(5):248–258
  8. NHS Diagnosis Guide: Borderline personality disorder. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/diagnosis/ [Accessed March 2022]
  9. NHS Treatment Guide: Borderline personality disorder. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/treatment/ [Accessed March 2022]
  10. Zanarini MC, et al. Am J Psychiatry. 2010;167(6):663–667


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