Borderline personality disorder (BPD)

Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also called emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), is a mental health condition that affects how you manage emotions, how you see yourself and how you relate to other people.

The word "personality disorder" can feel upsetting. It does not mean your personality is "wrong". It describes long-standing patterns of feelings and behaviour that cause distress and can be helped.

Signs and symptoms

• intense emotions that change quickly, such as anger, sadness or anxiety
• fear of being abandoned, and trying hard to avoid it
• intense, unstable relationships
• an unstable sense of who you are
• feeling empty
• impulsive behaviour, such as spending, substance use or reckless driving
• self-harm or thoughts of suicide
• feeling cut off from reality or paranoid at times of stress

What causes BPD?

It is thought to come from a mix of:

• difficult or traumatic experiences, often in childhood, such as abuse, neglect or losing a parent
• genes and family history
• differences in how the brain manages emotions

Many people with BPD have experienced trauma, but not everyone has.

Getting help

See your GP, who can refer you to a community mental health team. Specialist services for personality disorders are available in many areas.

Many people with BPD have faced stigma, including from services. You deserve to be treated with respect and to be listened to.

See BPD treatment.