Mental health is a term for a wide variety of emotional and psychological issues that are experienced by a large percentage of the population. Most people have heard of depression and anxiety, along with terms like bipolar and psychotic. Are you familiar with the term borderline personality disorder (BPD)?
Borderline personality disorder symptoms are many, and there are no actual diagnostic tests for determining the condition, but more like a set of behaviors and characteristics and behaviors that compile to the eventual diagnosis. For a closer look at borderline personality disorder as a condition, see some of the symptoms listed below.
Abandonment Issues
One of the more common borderline personality disorder symptoms is the fear of abandonment. Seemingly insignificant happenings can trigger the fear of abandonment. A simple disagreement can leave someone who suffers from fear of abandonment believing that because you disagreed on an issue, this is the end of the relationship, and you are going to leave them alone.
Negative Self Image
A poor sense of self can leave the person feeling guilty for things they never did. They often believe that no matter the issue, it is all their fault, leaving them to think they are failures. Believing they are failures, individuals have difficulty identifying anything positive in their lives and often believe that only bad things happen to them and that they deserve them.
Inappropriate Emotional Responses
Sometimes, borderline personality disorder symptoms take on some confusing emotional displays. Even during happy events, people who suffer from BPD often appear to be angry. Worse yet, even simple disagreements can blossom into full-blown angry temper tantrums. Although there are degrees of frequency and severity, in general, in people who struggle with this issue, the sometimes wild fluctuations in emotions can be over the top.
Mood Swings
While the average person goes through periods experiencing a range of emotions based on circumstances in their surroundings, the person with BPD often has mood swings far beyond the normal variations that come and go in life. A ten-minute wait in line at the grocery store may irritate some shoppers. A ten-minute wait for a person with BPD could induce an absolute rage against it when only seconds before their mood was sunny and bright. The drama that often ensues can be pretty shocking to onlookers.
Erratic Behaviors
Some of the more difficult borderline personality disorder symptoms are often a cross-section of other mental health issues. Erratic and dangerous behavior that would terrify someone without BPD sounds like a great idea to those who suffer from this unfortunate mental health issue. Drug abuse, promiscuity, gambling, street racing, and many other dangerous and adrenaline-producing activities are often seen in the patients being treated for BPD.
Paranoia
Everybody is out to get them. Sometimes, there is no convincing someone with a personality disorder that you are not out to get them in the heat of the moment. Even innocuous suggestions are suddenly suspect for no apparent reason to anyone but the person suffering from BPD. An example would be, one minute, you are going out to lunch, and the next, they are convinced that you are just trying to get them out of the house for nefarious reasons. There is sometimes no rhyme or reason to the thought process when borderline personality disorder symptoms arise.
Suicidal Ideation
Unfortunately, one detrimental side effect of BPD is suicidal ideation along with the propensity for self-harm. With a range of emotions and behaviors, many patients with BPD find themselves without long-term stable relationships to depend on for emotional support. It is frequently reported that some patients feel “empty” and, in an attempt to feel something, turn to self-harm. Sadly, this may also result in suicidal behavior.
A Plethora of Symptoms
The diagnosis of BPD is based on many different observations along with detailed information from the client and a thorough medical examination to rule out possible underlying physical causes. With so many borderline personality disorder symptoms being complete problems all on their own, it can be daunting to narrow down the field when attempting to classify this sometimes elusive condition.
There are currently no medications to treat BPD. Instead, patients must rely on a network of cognitive and behavioral therapies—additionally, common wellness treatments such as meditation, mindfulness, and yoga are sometimes helpful.