The symptoms of BPD:

The symptoms of BPD:

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by a pattern of unstable moods, relationships, and self-image.

Common symptoms include:

Intense emotional reactions: People with BPD often experience extreme mood swings that can shift quickly, including feelings of sadness, irritability, or anxiety.

Fear of abandonment: A person with BPD may have an intense fear of being rejected or abandoned by others, leading to frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.

Unstable relationships: They may experience relationships that are very intense, with shifts between idealizing and devaluing the other person. Relationships may feel chaotic or unstable.

Impulsive behaviors: These can include risky behaviors like substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating, or unsafe sexual practices.

Poor self-image: Individuals with BPD may struggle with a fluctuating or unstable sense of self, and may feel unsure about their identity or feel empty.

Self-harming behaviors: This can include cutting, burning, or other forms of self-injury, often as a way to cope with emotional pain.

Chronic feelings of emptiness: People with BPD may feel a persistent sense of void or lack of meaning in their lives.

Intense anger or difficulty controlling anger: They may experience frequent anger outbursts, or feel unable to manage their frustration.

Paranoia or dissociation: In times of stress, people with BPD may experience paranoid thoughts or feel disconnected from reality (dissociation).

These symptoms can significantly impact a person’s day-to-day functioning, but with proper treatment such as therapy (especially Dialectical Behavior Therapy), some people with BPD can learn to manage and reduce their symptoms.

Shervan K Shahhian