5 Common Signs Of Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental health condition that can wreak havoc on a person's life. Dealing with a person with borderline personality disorder can also be very difficult and emotionally trying for loved ones. Mental health services, like those provided by Dr. Stephen Brown & Associates, are necessary to help a person with borderline personality disorder get his or her emotions under control so he or she can have a fulfilling life. Some of the most common symptoms of borderline personality disorder include:

Extreme Mood Swings

A hallmark of borderline personality disorder is extreme mood swings that seem to occur out of no where. Unlike depression or anxiety, which typically have consistent symptoms of the condition until it is treated, the mood swings of a person with borderline personality disorder are unpredictable. Everything can seemingly be fine, and the next hour a person with borderline personality disorder can be out of control.

Problems Maintaining Relationships

A person with undiagnosed borderline personality disorder will typically have a difficult time maintaining healthy relationships with friends, family members, and significant others. The extreme shifts in emotion that a person with borderline personality disorder experiences can leave him or her feeling intense feelings of love and respect for a person one minute, followed by extreme emotions of hate or anger towards that person. This cycle makes it very hard to keep relationships, especially with romantic partners, since the relationship is often rocky and unstable.

Lack of Impulse Control

Due to fluctuating emotions and mental state, many people with borderline personality disorder display impulsive behavior on a regular basis. This behavior may include gambling, engaging in unprotected sex with strangers, binge eating, or spending money recklessly.

Out-of-Proportion Anger

Anger is a normal human emotion, but in an a person with borderline personality disorder anger can be brought out for insignificant things. Situations where other people may feel slightly annoyed, such as getting cut off in traffic or having a friend cancel plans, can throw a person with borderline personality disorder in to a rage. 

Substance Abuse

Many people with borderline personality disorder have poor self-esteem and little sense of self-worth, so it is not uncommon for them to drugs and alcohol as a source of escape and to try to feel better about themselves. This can become a dangerous cycle as regular use turns into an addiction; substance abuse combined with mental health problems is a serious situation that requires treatment from qualified mental health professionals.