𝓑𝓞𝓡𝓓𝓔𝓡𝓛𝓘𝓝𝓔 𝓟𝓔𝓡𝓢𝓞𝓝𝓐𝓛𝓘𝓣𝓨 𝓓𝓘𝓢𝓞𝓡𝓓𝓔𝓡
Side note: if you are not diagnosed with this disorder but relate to any/all of the symptoms, please do further research and speak to a personal mental health provider! (I know medical diagnosis is out of question for some people with certain healthcare, but please do a lot of research before self-diagnosing!)
Borderline Personality Disorder, commonly abbreviated to BPD, is a cluster B personality disorder characterized by unstable mood, behavior and relationships. Stemming from long-term abuse, BPD affects how one sees themself and others to the detriment of that person. It sounds very clean cut and simple, but it’s far from.
With BPD comes severe emotional instability and fluctuation of self-image. Unlike people with Bipolar (a chemical disorder with symptoms very similar to BPD) who’s mood fluctuates over longer spans of time, people with Borderline’s self image and emotions can change from minute to minute. People with borderline feel emotions at a much higher intensity than those without. Not just sad, but suicidal. Not just happy but euphoric. There is no “gray” in emotional states. These emotional scan fluctuate from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day or week to week. Emotion is also highly dependent on environmental factors such as friends and family. Whether one feels as if they have a “god complex” or so depressed they are suicidal, there is usually an external factor causing the stress or euphoria.
An extreme example of this, and another trait of BPD, includes having what the community like to call a “Favorite Person (FP)”. When somebody with BPD has a FP, they center their entire sense of self around that person. That one person become their emotional world, and often times need constant reassurance from this person due to fear of abandonment.
Fear of abandonment plays a very important role as well. People with Borderline usually have a very intense fear of being left behind or “thrown away”. This usually stems from the trauma that caused the BPD itself. Unfortunately, abandonment can happen more often for people experiencing BPD due to their nature to jump in and out of relationships (both platonic and romantic) and they’re extreme emotional needs that other often cannot meet.
Another part of BPD is known as “mirroring”. One of the reasons Borderline persons have an unstable self image is because it often changes based on who they’re around. Likely due to the fear of abandonment and the already unstable self image, and person with BPD can slightly or drastically change their personality, mannerisms, and even interests depending on who they’re in contact with.
As far a unstable relationships, people with borderline often find it hard to maintain safe and stable relationships, often viewing them as “completely good” or “completely bad”, also known as black-and-white thinking, also known as “splitting”.
Impulsivity is another characteristic, with sufferers often making impulsive and irrational decisions. This impulsiveness is usually towards things that cause harm such as Self Mutilation, Eating Disorders, and substance abuse. This all contributes to the person trying to manage their feelings of instability.
The disorder is also accompanied by intense feelings of anger, paranoia, dissociation/derealization, and stress.
Many in the community describe having BPD as the emotional equivalent of having 3rd degree burns over your entire body. It’s an extremely intense disorder that many don’t make it through.
If you’re experiencing symptoms and feel alone, please reach out. Somebody would rather hear your story than go to your funeral.
Borderline Personality Disorder - The Mayo Clinic
Borderline Personality Disorder - NLM (Box 2 for Diagnostic Criteria)
Borderline Personality Disorder Forum!
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