Borderline Personality Disorder - Diagnosis and Treatment (2023)

FAQs

How valid is borderline personality disorder diagnosis? ›

Results. Of the respondents, 82% accepted the overall validity of borderline personality disorder for adult populations. The subquestions that separated conceptual (87% agreed) and empirical (67% agreed) considerations of validity showed similar profiles.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

DBT uses a skills-based approach to teach you how to manage your emotions, tolerate distress and improve relationships.

With borderline personality disorder, you have an intense fear of abandonment or instability, and you may have difficulty tolerating being alone. Yet inappropriate anger, impulsiveness and frequent mood swings may push others away, even though you want to have loving and lasting relationships.

If you think that you (or a loved one) may have borderline personality disorder (BPD), it's important to get an accurate diagnosis, which requires a BPD assessment. Did you know that BPD symptoms often overlap those of other mental health disorders, such as anxiety and major depression?

The diagnosis of borderline personality disorder has a long and controversial past that continues to spark debates in psychology today.

Challenges with getting a BPD diagnosis

The symptoms of BPD are very broad, and some can be similar to or overlap with other mental health problems, such as: Bipolar disorder. Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) Depression.

The most popular and most effective form of therapy for BPD is dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). This form of therapy was created for people with borderline personality disorder in mind. If you've been diagnosed with BPD, know that you're not alone.

However, despite dedication or the desire to recover, it is unlikely that a person with Borderline Personality Disorder will overcome BPD on their own without the guidance and insight that the therapeutic process can offer.

Anyone living with BPD can still lead satisfying lives and take pleasure in long-term relationships and even life partnerships. With the proper treatment and support, people with BPD can and do have healthy and happy relationships.

Can someone with BPD be trusted? ›

Recent Findings. In trust appraisal paradigms, people with BPD have a bias to rate others as untrustworthy. In behavioral exchange games, they report lower trust in partners and are more likely to rupture cooperation.

Stressful or traumatic life events

Often having felt afraid, upset, unsupported or invalidated. Family difficulties or instability, such as living with a parent or carer who experienced an addiction. Sexual, physical or emotional abuse or neglect. Losing a parent.

A diagnosis of personality disorder can be stigmatizing to people. This is especially true for Borderline, Narcissistic and Antisocial Personality Disorders. This is probably largely due to the portrayal of these disorders by the media as being caustic or dangerous to the general population.

Individuals with symptoms of BPD are particularly sensitive to perceived criticism. This increases the likelihood that they will feel attacked when a therapist attempts to offer suggestions or insights. This often leads to lashing out.

Recurring thoughts of suicidal behaviors or threats. Intense and highly variable moods, with episodes lasting from a few hours to a few days. Chronic feelings of emptiness. Inappropriate, intense anger or problems controlling anger.

Symptoms of personality disorder are: Moody, Criticizing everyone, Overreacting, Intimidating others, and Dominance over another person. A borderline personality disorder is the hardest to treat.

Borderline personality disorder is known to cause many negative outcomes, including the loss of interpersonal relationships, divorce, an inability to maintain steady employment, self-harm, addiction, legal trouble, unplanned pregnancy, health complications, and more.

Why does BPD have such a bad reputation? A sufferer of BPD may act out in upsetting and unsettling ways that when observed by others can lead them to be fearful of the sufferer, but compassion for the underlying causes of the person's behavior is what is often desperately needed to move them toward healing.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be hard to diagnose because the symptoms of this disorder overlap with many other conditions, such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and even eating disorders.

The Three Key Signs. Perhaps more importantly, and even more telling than specific symptoms associated with particular disorders, are matters of duration, rigidity, and globalism of the vexing behaviors.

Is BPD overdiagnosed? ›

BPD is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed mental health conditions.

Follow up studies of people with BPD receiving treatment found a borderline personality disorder treatment success rate of about 50% over a 10-year period. BPD takes time to improve, but treatment does work.

While BPD can't be cured and won't go away, Gatlin said the prognosis can be good for those who are going to therapy and taking medication, if needed, to manage their symptoms. She noted that a key milestone is when a young adult reaches their mid to late 20s, as that's when the brain finishes developing.

All told, 50% of the borderline patients studied achieved a recovery from borderline personality disorder—an outcome that required being symptomatically remitted and having good social and vocational functioning during the past two years.

Antidepressants for BPD

Celexa or Zoloft for borderline personality disorder have been found to help with mood instability and impulsivity. By reducing the person's mood symptoms, they can improve their overall well-being.

Magnesium. Lower levels of magnesium have been observed in individuals with BPD (20). Further, supplementation of magnesium, in conjunction with vitamin B6, has been indicated to be supportive for reducing symptoms in individuals with BPD (20).

Many experts believe that weekly therapy involving education about the disorder, family support, and social and emotional skills training can treat most BPD cases. It's important to take the time to find a therapist you feel safe with—someone who seems to get you and makes you feel accepted and understood.

Consider cutting out all processed food and sugar for a few weeks and observe your energy level and your emotions. Avoid misusing alcohol or caffeine, as these also can intensify mood instability. BPD sometimes includes symptoms of self-harm or substance abuse.

People with Borderline Personality Disorder have a reduced life expectancy of some 20 years, attributable largely to physical health maladies, notably cardiovascular. Risk factors include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and smoking.

Borderline personality disorder often occurs with other mental illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These co-occurring disorders can make it harder to diagnose and treat borderline personality disorder, especially if symptoms of other illnesses overlap with symptoms of the disorder.

Why not to date someone with BPD? ›

Dating someone with borderline personality disorder can be challenging. Your partner may have major difficulties with strong emotions, drastic mood swings, chronic fear of abandonment, and impulsive behaviors that can strain your relationship with chaos and instability.

Loving someone with borderline personality disorder isn't easy. Watching your loved one struggle with deep inner turmoil, negotiating a fluctuating sense of identity, and experiencing such profound rawness of emotion can be painful. Often, even everyday interactions can be laden with potential hazards.

For instance, a person with BPD is not trying to be manipulative; they are scared of being left or abandoned. They are also not uncaring people. They do care about family and friends but find it difficult not to act selfishly when experiencing their own heightened emotions.

Do Those Suffering from BPD's Regret Breaking Up? Although BPD personalities initiate a break-up as a way of seeking validation, because of the intense anxiety at play, they'll often express intense regret because of their abandonment wounding, especially if they're not met with the response they desire.

It is often the case that a person with borderline personality disorder displays intense emotions, sometimes "flying off the handle." After such a display, they have difficulty regulating themselves. Once they have regained their equilibrium, they do often feel guilt or remorse about their behavior.

This person says it exactly right — people with BPD have very intense emotions that can last from a few hours to even a few days, and can change very quickly. For example, we can go from feeling very happy to suddenly feeling very low and sad.

Conclusions: Parental externalizing psychopathology and father's BPD traits contribute genetic risk for offspring BPD traits, but mothers' BPD traits and parents' poor parenting constitute environmental risks for the development of these offspring traits.

Environmental factors

being exposed to long-term fear or distress as a child. being neglected by 1 or both parents. growing up with another family member who had a serious mental health condition, such as bipolar disorder or a drink or drug misuse problem.

Those diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) or those with BPD who may not even know they have it, are more likely than the general population to be verbally, emotionally/psychologically, physically abusive.

How often is borderline personality disorder misdiagnosed? ›

One study cited that almost 40% of people who were diagnosed with BPD were provided with a misdiagnosis of BD at some point in their lifetime in comparison to only 10% of people in the general population receiving a misdiagnosis of BD. The exact reasoning for this high rate of misdiagnosis is debated among researchers.

Personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder, are diagnosed based on a: Detailed interview with your doctor or mental health provider. Psychological evaluation that may include completing questionnaires. Medical history and exam.

The very symptoms and behaviors associated with BPD are linked with how providers define the “difficult patient.” Kelly & May (1982) found that behaviors such as mutilation, chronic illness, rule-breaking behavior, aggressive, uncooperative or won't accept care, or need too much care, and are destructive, willful, ...

People with BPD are chronically unsure about their lives, whether it is with their family, personal relationships, work, or future aspirations. They also experience persistent uncertain and insecure thoughts and feelings about their self-image, long-term goals, friendships, and values.

Many people with BPD feel emotions deeply and find working in a caring role fulfilling. If you are an empathetic person, consider jobs such as teaching, childcare, nursing and animal care.

There's no specific test for BPD, but a healthcare provider can determine a diagnosis with a comprehensive psychiatric interview and medical exam. After that, you can get appropriate treatment and begin to manage your symptoms better and move forward in your life.

Interpersonal symptoms

A pattern of unstable relationships, marked by extremes of idealization and devaluation, is one of the most important symptoms in making an accurate diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, with studies reporting a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 87%.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a disorder of mood and how a person interacts with others. It's the most commonly recognised personality disorder.

BPD and other personality disorders were diagnosed as Axis II disorders in the last Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). These axes are no longer used in the current edition of the DSM.

Borderline Personality Disorder | Ausmed

The term 'borderline' was first used in the era of psychoanalysis when the condition was thought to exist on the border of psychosis and neurosis. However, BPD is now understood to be a disorder in its own right.

Do people get misdiagnosed with BPD? ›

Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for individuals with BPD to be misdiagnosed. In fact, studies show that 40% of people with this condition have received a wrong diagnosis at some point in their lifetime.

Individuals with symptoms of BPD are particularly sensitive to perceived criticism. This increases the likelihood that they will feel attacked when a therapist attempts to offer suggestions or insights. This often leads to lashing out.

Mental health providers can be reluctant to diagnose BPD and other personality disorders due to diagnosis criteria, insurance, and stigma. Not diagnosing BPD, where appropriate, can adversely affect treatment. Traits of BPD can be communicated without formally diagnosing the full personality disorder.

For example, an adolescent with BPD might see two of his friends talking in the hallway and develop the paranoid belief that his friends all secretly hate him and are planning to humiliate him.

Things that can indicate an episode is occurring: Intense angry outbursts. Suicidal thoughts and self-harm behavior. Going to great lengths to feel something, then becoming increasingly avoidant and withdrawn.

Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPDs) become overwhelmed and incapacitated by the intensity of their emotions, whether it is joy and elation or depression, anxiety, and rage. They are unable to manage these intense emotions.

The average disability check for borderline personality disorder and similar mental health conditions is $1,232.97 per month. Your monthly benefit won't vary based on your condition, but your work history, income history, and the benefits program you qualify for can all impact your actual check size.

People with BPD are often affected by several types of distorted thinking. Some ways that a person with BPD thinks include having paranoid ideation, dichotomous thinking, and dissociation. If you believe that you might be experiencing thinking associated with BPD, talk to your doctor.

People with BPD score low on cognitive empathy but high on emotional empathy. This suggests that they do not easily understand other peoples' perspectives, but their own emotions are very sensitive. This is important because it could align BPD with other neurodiverse conditions.