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Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterized by erratic feelings, moods and behaviors. Patients usually have problems with emotions and thoughts; sometimes, they have careless behavior which leads to an unstable relationship. Borderline personality disorder generally occurs during adolescence or early adulthood.
What are the signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder?
It is not easy to distinguish the symptoms of borderline personality disorder from other mental disorders. But generally, borderline personality disorder can be diagnosed by the following signs and symptoms:
- People with borderline personality disorder usually have a serious fear of being ignored or left behind. They sometimes have extreme reactions, such as panic, depression, anger or excitement when they feel or are completely abandoned.
- They cannot maintain stable relationships, even with family, friends or close people. They often cause problems in the relationship by idealizing someone and then resenting or getting angry with that person all of a sudden.
- They quickly change their emotions, values, feelings, goals related to self-identity and self-image. Patients do not value themselves or feel they do not exist.
- Impulsive and sometimes dangerous behavior, such as gambling, wasting money, unsafe sexual relations, substance abuse, careless driving, binge eating or stopping success suddenly, such as stopping a job or a positive relationship.
- Repetitive or self-defeating suicidal behavior, such as cutting a vein, in response to fear of separation or rejection.
- Moods are intense and volatile, with each episode lasting from a few hours to several days which can include intense happiness, resentment, embarrassment or restlessness.
- Often feel empty or bored.
- Anger that is inappropriate, intense, cynical, has physical strife
- Having paranoid thoughts related to stress or serious dissociative symptoms, such as feeling separated from yourself, observing yourself from outside your body, or losing touch with reality.
However, the most dangerous signs are suicide and self-harm. About 4-9% of people with borderline personality disorder tend to have suicidal behavior or attempt suicide. With mental problems, suicide is the most tragic result. Doctors are studying to find treatments that can reduce the suicidal behavior of people with borderline personality disorder.
Self-injury is not as serious as attempted suicide, but it also has an impact on the patient's physical and body health. In certain cases, self-injurious behavior can be life-threatening, such as grooming, burning, hitting, shaking the head, pulling hair and other dangerous actions. Worse, these people do not see this behavior as a dangerous activity, but as a way of expressing pain and punishing oneself.
When do I need to see a doctor?
Immediately visit a doctor as soon as you notice signs and symptoms that interfere with your life and social relationships. You need to talk to your family or friends about getting medical help when you notice signs of BPD in them. If your relationship is causing significant stress, you may want to see a therapist.
