What is borderline personality disorder? — Borderline personality disorder is a mental disorder. People with this disorder have unstable relationships and extreme mood changes, such as sudden shifts to anger or sadness. They sometimes do things that seem extreme and can even be violent. Plus, they act without thinking about the consequences.
What are the symptoms of borderline personality disorder? — People with borderline personality disorder often have:
- Unstable relationships
- Sudden shifts in how they see themselves or others
- Extreme mood changes, such as sudden feelings of rage, deep sadness, or total emptiness
- Problems with risk-taking – For example, they sometimes take illegal drugs or have unsafe sex, and they can be violent with themselves or others.
- Trouble thinking clearly or logically when overcome by emotion
Part of the reason that people with borderline personality disorder have unstable relationships is that they tend to see people in their life as all good or all bad. At one moment, they might feel close to a loved one; at the next moment they might feel disgusted by that person. People with borderline personality disorder can also misunderstand the reactions of others. For instance, they might think a person who likes them actually hates them.
People with borderline personality disorder often think about suicide. Roughly 1 in 10 people with the disorder actually kill themselves. For this reason, it’s very important that people with borderline personality disorder be treated by a professional who has experience with the disorder.
Many people with borderline personality disorder have other mental problems, too. For example, they might have depression, anxiety or eating disorders, or they might abuse drugs or alcohol.
Is there a test for borderline personality disorder? — No. There is no test. But a mental health expert, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, should be able to tell if you have it by learning about your symptoms, your relationships, and your experiences.
Should I get help? — If you have thoughts of harming yourself or others, go to the emergency room or call for an ambulance (in the US and Canada, dial 9-1-1). If you have the symptoms described above and they make it hard for you to have a normal life, talk to a therapist who has experience treating borderline personality disorder.
How is borderline personality disorder treated? — The main treatment for borderline personality disorder is psychotherapy. There are different types of psychotherapy that can help. In general, they all focus on helping you learn new ways of thinking and behaving, so that you have less extreme mood changes and feel more at ease.
Many people with borderline personality disorder also benefit from medicines to help with mood changes, anger, and other symptoms
What will my life be like? — Experts used to think that borderline personality disorder was something you had for the rest of your life. New studies suggest that many people get much better over time. If you have borderline personality disorder, seek help and follow through with treatment.
This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Oct 01, 2015.
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