Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also (more accurately) known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), is characterized by difficult social and personal relationships, a poor self-image, and difficulty managing emotions.

Prevalence

Up to 6% of the population is reported to be affected with BPD in a given year. The male to female ratio of people diagnosed with BPD is 1:3, and it appears to become less common among older people.

The behaviors that characterize BPD typically begin by early adulthood and may be triggered by events considered normal to others. BPD commonly coexists with other conditions such as substance abuse, major depressive disorder, and eating disorders.

Many people with BPD are underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed because the symptoms can be confused with those for other personality or mood disorders, especially if a person only talks about a few symptoms rather than all symptoms experienced.

Borderline Personality Disorder vs Bipolar Disorder

Both disorders have symptoms of mood instability, but a marked difference is that the different moods in bipolar disorder can last for months whereas the mood swings in BPD can change within a few hours.

Sources PSYCH CENTRAL – Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms | NIH – Borderline Personality Disorder | BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER – Overview, causes and Prognosis | MAYO CLINIC – Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and Causes | OPTIMIST MINDS – Borderline Personality Disorder DSM 5 (A Guide) | NIH – Diagnosing borderline personality disorder | NIH – Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Aetiology, and Treatment | VERY WELL MIND – Transference-Focused Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder | NHS – Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment | Manning S (2011). Loving Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder. The Guilford Press. | Aviram RB, Brodsky BS, Stanley B (2006). “Borderline personality disorder, stigma, and treatment implications”. Harvard Review of Psychiatry. 14 (5): 249–56. | O’Neill A, Frodl T (October 2012). “Brain structure and function in borderline personality disorder”. Brain Structure & Function. 217 (4): 767–782.