Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

Border Personality Disorder symptoms are vast and varied, but there is a common thread between the different symptoms and that is the impact that these illnesses have on the quality of life and lifestyle, which the sufferer experiences. Understanding the symptoms can often be the first step to treating the underlying problem or problems.

Symptoms of borderline personality disorders (BPD) can be grouped under certain headings to help gain a clearer picture of the illness. It is important to note that a person suffering from BPD may not display all of the borderline personality disorder symptoms. But there are likely to be multiple symptoms involved that are visible on frequent occasions. At the same time not everyone who displays some of these symptoms has BPD, but it is well worth investigating if the problems are severe and impacting on work, relationships or life in general.

Unstable relationships

For the person who is suffering from BPD it is difficult to maintain healthy relationships. Relating to loved ones, family and friends will alternate between feelings of love and closeness to even hatred and repulsion. Frequent arguments will be commonplace. Conflicts and breakups in important relationships will also be a common sign of deeper problems. It may also involve fluctuations between idealizing the other person to devaluing him or her.

Impulsive behavior

Another common symptom of BPD is excessively impulsive behavior. This can be displayed in a variety of different ways. Anything from excessive spending to impulsive and erratic driving or even dangerous, sexual behaviors are all possible BPD symptoms. It basically comes back to acting without thinking in a way that is actually self-harming. Other examples include substance abuse, impulsive eating habits, excessive gambling or even breaking the law.

Suicidal tendencies

Thoughts of suicide are perhaps one of the most common and dangerous of all of the borderline personality disorder symptoms. In fact around 1 in 10 of BPD patients do end up actually committing suicide. This number is even higher if depression is also a part of the equation! So suicidal thoughts or comments of committing suicide should never be taken for granted. With treatment the danger and risk of suicide actually occurring can be drastically reduced! Hence if suicidal threats are made or suicide attempts occur then be sure to seek help immediately!

Excessive and inappropriate anger

Sufferers of borderline personality disorder may also tend to harm or injure themselves without having an intention to commit suicide. This may involve burning, cutting or other forms of self-mutilation.

Thoughts of self-harm

Anger is an emotion that we all experience and deal with almost daily to varying degrees, but when this anger becomes intense and excessive, without the situation warranting these reactions, then the underlying reasons need to be examined. In BPD patients this intense anger may involve unreasonable shouting at others, throwing and breaking objects, making unreasonable sarcastic remarks or even lashing out physically and fighting!

Abandonment fears

There may be a time in life when a person feels rejected or abandoned by others, but this is not usually an ongoing fear in most people. But when someone feels an intense fear of abandonment then he or she may become irrational and try to hold onto another person thinking that he or she is going to leave. This fear may not always be obviously expressed, but may be laying subtly below the surface. Abandonment fears can be crippling for the person who is experiencing them because they imagine those they love deserting them and leaving them alone.

Feelings of emptiness

If chronic feelings of emptiness are experienced or displayed then this may also be a borderline personality disorder symptom. You may feel dead inside or like you have no emotions at all.

Stress related paranoia

People who have BPD tend to feel that others are picking on them or do not like them. It may also involve severe dissociative symptoms and losing touch with reality. Sufferers may feel numb or that people are not real.

These are some of the prevalent borderline personality disorder symptoms, but this list is not exhaustive. BPDs are complex and are estimated to effect around 2 percent of the general population in developed countries. Females seem to be more prone to suffering with borderline personality disorders than are males, with approximately 75% of those who are diagnosed being women.

Regardless of which symptoms are occurring it is important to follow up and seek professional advice when these problems appear. Human life is fragile and is certainly not something to be played around with. So if you see any borderline personality disorder symptoms in yourself or those you love then be sure to ask for help and follow up with treatment.

Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms