BPD can throw the victim off balance and leave them with both real and unreal fears.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a severe mental illness that negatively impacts self-image, thoughts, emotions, communication, and behaviour. Currently, between 1% and 4% of Australians, that’s 250,000 to 1,000,000 individuals are affected by BPD at some stage in their lives. A person with BPD is highly irritable and impulsive. Also, they can be suicidal, have difficulty interacting with people, and experience constant feelings of emptiness. A person may even start to indulge in risky sexual behaviours.
So, what are the most common signs of BPD? Keep reading to find out:
1. Intense Mood Swings
A person with BPD does not experience emotions like other people. Their feelings tend to be more intense than usual and can change fast. They’ll demonstrate instances of intense happiness which may turn into explosive and uncontrollable anger in a split second. They’ll also be all jovial and excited about life in one minute and experience chronic feelings of sadness and low motivation in another.
2. Low Self Esteem
Most people struggling with BPD tend to have self-esteem issues. They lack a stable sense of self and are always seeking attention and approval from people around them. As a result, their moods are always in a constant state of flux depending on how friends, family, or romantic partners say about them.
3. Suicidal Thoughts
People struggling with BPD may consider killing themselves. Suicidal thoughts arise when a person is unable to deal with extreme emotional swings. According to studies, nearly 80% of people struggling with BPD contemplate suicide, and approximately 10% of BPD patients commit suicide.
Mental health experts say that people dealing with BPD attempt suicide to show people close to them that they are suffering. Other BPD patients may inflict pain on themselves by cutting or burning their bodies to show their distress.
4. Trouble Keeping Stable Relationships
A person with BPD struggles to maintain stable relationships. They are unable to keep interpersonal relationships both at work and at home. They’ll also struggle to maintain romantic relationships because of their stressed-induced paranoia and a deep-rooted fear of abandonment.
According to psychologists, people suffering from BPD believe that other people are out to get them. They, therefore, tend to have a problem maintaining meaningful relationships.
5. Explosive Anger
Someone with BPD will have a problem keeping their cool. They’ll have a short temper and explosive anger. They also have trouble keeping their frustrations and anger under control when offended. They’ll yell, rant and rave, and throw things. Not only do people dealing with BPD direct their anger outwards or to people around them, but they may also spend hours feeling angry about themselves.
6. Persistent Feelings of Emptiness
It is not uncommon to hear a person dealing with BPD talking about feeling empty inside them. Some may even go the extent of feeling like they are ‘unworthy’ ‘nobody’ or ‘nothing.’ Because these feelings are difficult to deal with, a person may turn to self-harming activities like sex with random people or drug abuse to fill the emptiness. Not only do these self-harming behaviours expose them to a whole range of risks, but they also don’t make them feel any better.
7. Shifting Self-image
A person with BPD will struggle with their sense of self. They’ll feel good about themselves sometimes, and other times they’ll despise themselves. They’ll hate the person they’ve become and view themselves as evil people. They’ll repeatedly lack a clear idea of the person they are and question their goals in life. Consequently, they may change friends, religion, jobs, goals, or even lovers. Some may also go to the extent of changing their sexual identity.
8. Frantic Fear of Abandonment
A person with Borderline Personality Disorder dreads the other person leaving them. The abandonment may sometimes be imagined. If a loved one is going for a while, they’ll feel intense fear and turn to desperate ways to keep the loved one home or close to them. They may cling, beg, or go to the extent of starting fights. Others, especially those in romantic relationships, may track the movements of their loved ones.
Final Words
Borderline Personality Disorder is a common mental condition that affects people of nearly all ages. BPD can throw the victim off balance and leave them with both real and unreal fears. See a mental health expert immediately you or your loved one experience any of the symptoms mentioned above.
