Borderline Personality: Part 3

SYMPTOMS

Individuals with borderline personality often develop symptoms from acute events like loss of a job, failure at work, breakup of friendship, lack of career goals and most of all, a sense of having no identity

Many of these individuals view themselves as worthless or bad. Often they feel as they have been mistreated or deceived. They often complain of feeling bored, empty and lack of self recognition is quite common.

The symptoms of BPD generally are more severe when the individuals have little family support and no friends. The individual in turn makes desperate attempts to socialize.

Because of the persistent negative feelings or emotional traits, BPD individuals have few friends. While they do develop intense attachments, these are often stormy. These individuals are very labile in their feelings with emotions switching from love to hate in a matter of minutes. Loyalty to a friendship is rare because they constantly switch their feelings at the slightest hint of feeling poorly treated. Being highly sensitive to rejection, they often react with anger, self injury and spontaneous unrealistic decisions. In the middle of a vacation, they many cancel the trip and return back home. Sudden changes in plans are not common with these individuals.

Like manics, BPD individuals also act with impulsivity and may go on a spending spree, practice risky behaviors like sex with strangers, binge eating and drinking. In most cases BPD occurs as an isolated disorder but can occur in association with other mental health disorder like depression, substance abuse, mania and anxiety.