8 Signs of Borderline Personality Disorder & Why It Remains Sadly Misunderstood
Do you know someone who is manipulative, self-destructive, and volatile? Do they have sudden swings of emotion where they cry one moment and rage the next? If so, there’s a good chance that person is showing signs of borderline personality disorder.
There are more than 10 million cases of borderline personality disorder reported in India. Up to 5% of the population in the USA is affected by borderline personality disorder.
Yet it remains one of the most misunderstood disorders in today’s society.
Seeking Therapy Support has proven to reduce the signs of borderline personality and build healthier coping strategies to manage them.
Many people assume it’s nothing more than dramatic or “catty” behavior. But BPD is much more than that. It’s a severe mental illness with intense psychological and emotional signs of borderline personality disorder.
This article will introduce you to the signs of borderline personality disorder and why it remains so misunderstood.
What is Borderline Personality Disorder?
A borderline personality disorder is an emotionally unstable disorder that causes intense fear, distress, and self-destructive behavior.
BPD is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. People with BPD often experience intense mood swings, trouble controlling their emotions, and intense fears of abandonment.
Sufferers often engage in impulsive behavior and have difficulty maintaining healthy relationships.
While BPD can occur in people of any age, it’s most common among young adults. BPD differs from other mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression in two key ways.
First, BPD is marked by intense emotions and mood swings that can change in an instant. People with BPD often experience feeling intense love, joy, and anger within seconds, if not sooner.
Mood swings are a common symptom of borderline personality disorder. People with depression, on the other hand, experience a general and consistent sadness.
Second, BPD sufferers feel these strong emotions about themselves. They experience extremely low self-esteem, feel shame about themselves, and have difficulties loving themselves and others.
People with depression, on the other hand, feel sad about their life, relationships, and future.
10 Signs Of Borderline Personality Disorder
Understanding and being aware of the signs of borderline personality disorder can help you to seek help on time and become better at managing the challenges of BPD.
Knowing the signs of borderline personality disorder can also be effective in giving support and help to someone who exhibits these signs of borderline personality disorder:
1. Intense and Unstable Relationships
People with BPD have intense but unstable relationships, often feeling one minute that they’re madly in love with someone and the next minute feeling hated by them. The degree of love and hate BPD sufferers feel for others is so extreme that they often end up pushing away the very people they love.
2. Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
People with signs of borderline personality disorder will often try to cope with their pain by abusing substances such as alcohol or drugs-or by engaging in self-harm like cutting or burning themselves. Suicide is a serious risk for people with BPD, especially when they feel cornered or don’t know how to cope with their emotions.
3. Extreme and Unreasonable Reactions
One of the signs of borderline personality disorder tend to overreact to situations, and their reactions are often extreme and unreasonable. For example, someone with BPD may feel extremely angry and want to break up with their partner for no specific reason.
4. Mood Swings
Mood swings are key signs of borderline personality disorder. People with BPD experience sudden and extreme shifts in emotion, often going from feeling happy or calm to feeling angry or sad. These mood swings are often triggered by something that happens in the person’s environment, like an argument with a friend.
5. Intense and Unpredictable Sensitivity
People with BPD are extremely sensitive and may react strongly to comments or events that others would brush off. For example, if a close friend cancels a lunch date, a person with BPD may feel extremely hurt and think that their friend is mad at them when really the person was just too busy.
6. Feeling of Being an Outcast
People with signs of borderline personality disorder often feel like an outcast, as if they don’t belong in the world. BPD sufferers may feel like they don’t have friends or that they’re unwanted by society. This feeling of being an outcast is often coupled with an intense feeling of shame.
7. Abandonment Issues
People with BPD often fear that others will abandon them, even if their friends and family are 100 percent. The signs of borderline personality disorder may also include having a difficult time being committed to others and staying in relationships.
8. Suicidal Thoughts or Actions
BPD is often associated with having suicidal thoughts or actions. While not all people with BPD have suicidal thoughts, many are at risk for self-harm and suicide.
Notice Any Signs of Borderline Personality Disorder? Talking To A Therapist Can Help.
Why Is BPD So Misunderstood?
As mentioned earlier, people tend to misunderstand BPD because they believe it’s nothing more than dramatic or “catty” behavior. BPD is often misdiagnosed as depression or anxiety disorder.
The signs of borderline personality disorder are often mistaken for these two other disorders because of the intense emotions and impulsive actions that accompany the disorder.
BPD is often misdiagnosed because of the stigma that surrounds it. People with BPD are often misunderstood as manipulative and attention-seeking.
The truth is, many people with BPD don’t understand that they have a mental illness and instead believe that they are bad people and deserve the shame they feel.
3 Ways to Help a Loved One with BPD
If you can detect any signs of borderline personality disorder then talk to a therapist or encourage them to go to therapy.
In addition to that, you can also practice these 3 effective ways to help someone struggling with a borderline personality disorder.
- Create a Safe Space: Emotions and feelings are normal, but they can also be harmful. People with BPD often need a safe space to talk about their feelings, but may not feel comfortable enough to talk to someone they love. If you have a loved one with BPD, create a safe space for them to talk about how they’re feeling.
- Avoid over-correcting: While you should create a safe space for your loved one with BPD, you should avoid correcting their emotions. Instead, listen to their feelings and help them work through them.
- Don’t Let Your Own Emotions Control You: Your emotions are your own and you can control them. While you should listen to your loved ones, don’t let their emotions control you and turn your life upside down. Let your loved ones know that you care about them, but that you want to focus on keeping yourself together and happy as well.
Conclusion
A borderline personality disorder is an emotionally unstable disorder that causes intense fear, distress, and self-destructive behavior.
BPD is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. Being aware of the signs of borderline personality disorder and taking help from the right therapist can help you to overcome the challenges of BPD and have more stable and fulfilling relationships.
Some of the most common signs of borderline personality disorder are intense mood swings, trouble controlling their emotions, and extreme fears of abandonment.
Struggling with Borderline personality disorder can get extremely difficult and impact your relationships. Although you may have a strong support system, it is still advisable to seek professional help so that you can learn how to navigate and manage your emotions and behaviors.