Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A doctor has shared five common symptoms for someone who has borderline personality disorder (BPD).
Dr Jaleel Mohammed (@drjaleelmohammed), a consultant psychiatrist, has taken to TikTok to raise awareness of the health condition.
Dr Jaleel Mohammed has shared five symptoms of borderline personality disorder (@drjaleelmohammed)
BPD happens to be the most commonly recognised personality disorder in relation to mood and the way a person interacts with others, according to the NHS.
In a video posted earlier this year, the London-based doctor revealed five symptoms of BPD you need to keep an eye on.
Symptom #1
Dr Mohammed has noted ’emotional instability’ as the first symptom that’s common in people who have BPD.
“There can be extreme changes in emotions from feeling very happy or content one moment to feeling extremely sad, distressed, or angry the next,” he explained.
“And these emotional states can change multiple times throughout the course of a day.”
BPD happens to be the most commonly recognised personality disorder (Getty Stock Images)
Symptom #2
Those with BPD often suffer from ‘volatile relationships’, Dr Mohammed notes.
He claims that ‘people with borderline personality often have great difficulty in maintaining stable relationships’.
“They may feel strong connections with people very quickly and see that person as being amazing,” Dr Mohammed said.
“But if something doesn’t go as planned, they can feel extremely hurt or mistreated and can see that same person as being extremely bad.
“This pattern is often called idealisation and devaluation.”
Symptom #3
If someone you know is making ‘frantic efforts to avoid abandonment’, then it might be something to look out for.
He explained: “Others can find relationships with people with borderline personality very difficult.
“And sometimes they may not wish to continue the relationship.
“At these times, people with borderline personality can have extreme reactions such as self-harming or cutting the person off before they end the relationship in order to avoid the feeling of abandonment.”
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterised by intense emotional and behavioural symptoms that can significantly impact daily life. Here are 5 key symptoms: 1. Emotional Instability: Individuals with BPD experience rapid and intense mood swings, often triggered by interpersonal stress. These mood changes can range from feelings of happiness to intense anger, sadness, or anxiety, and can last for hours to days. 2. Volatile Relationships: Relationships are often intense and unstable. People with BPD may alternate between idealising and devaluing others, which can lead to tumultuous interactions. This pattern often results in frequent conflicts and breakups. 3. Efforts to Avoid Abandonment: A profound fear of abandonment leads to frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined separation. This can include impulsive actions, such as begging, clinging, or suddenly cutting off relationships to preempt perceived rejection. 4. Unstable Self-Image: Individuals with BPD often have an unstable sense of identity. They may experience sudden changes in their self-image, values, goals, or opinions. This can lead to uncertainty in long-term planning and a pervasive sense of emptiness. 5. Recurrent Self-Harm: Self-harming behaviors, such as cutting, burning, or hitting oneself, are common. These actions are often coping mechanisms to manage intense emotions or a means to express internal pain. Additionally, self unaliving thoughts and behaviours are prevalent in BPD, underscoring the seriousness of the condition. #borderline #bpd #mentalhealth #psychiatry #psychiatrist
♬ original sound – Dr Jaleel Mohammed
Symptom #4
Having an ‘unstable self-image’ quite literally relates to someone who has ‘an unstable view of themselves’.
“They can quickly flip from seeing themselves as a good person to an extremely bad person, or from a very competent person to an extremely useless person, all depending on their mood circumstances or what other people say to them,” Dr Mohammed said.
Symptom #5
The final and most serious symptom is ‘recurrent self harming or suicidal behaviour’.
“Many people with borderline personality disorder can have such extreme depression and distress and see themselves being so worthless that they repeatedly harm themselves. For example by damaging their skin or by taking overdoses,” Dr Mohammed concluded.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
