borderline personality disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive, long-term pattern across several contexts of significant interpersonal relationship instability, extreme fear of abandonment, and intense emotional outbursts. People with BPD frequently exhibit self-harming behaviors and engage in risky activities, primarily caused by difficulties in regulating emotions. Symptoms such as dissociation, a pervasive sense of emptiness, and distorted sense of self are prevalent.

Onset of symptoms can be triggered by events others perceive as normal, with the disorder manifesting in early adolescence, but is typically diagnosed in early adulthood; and persisting across diverse contexts. BPD is often comorbid with substance use disorders, depressive disorders, and eating disorders. Studies estimate up to 10 percent of people with BPD die by suicide. BPD faces significant stigmatization in media portrayals and the psychiatric field, leading to underdiagnosis and insufficient treatment.