Though I have not been officially diagnosed, I believe that I have BPD. I've read all of the symptoms and what i could find, and I can agree with all of them, however I'm still not sure. What are the actually signs of the disorder?

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can be a very serious problem. People with this disorder often struggle their whole lives with difficulty in their relationships, vascilating between idolizing and hating others in their lives. People with BPD crave attention from other people and may go to great lengths to get it by being overly agreeable, clingy and even manipulative. Sometimes BPD sufferers will go so far as to make suicide gestures to get sympathy. These suicide attempts or gestures should be taken seriously as they are often lethal.

The person with BPD was typically abused or neglected in childhood by both parents and traumatized as well. Therefore they feel a strong need for loving, secure relationships. Unfortunately by the very nature of their behaviors they end up pushing people away and never having the deep quality of relationships they desire. People with BPD typically feel empty and lacking in identity. They may change jobs, careers, majors, sexual identities, favorite colors, religions, etc. in an attempt to find themselves.

This is probably one of the most challenging disorders to treat for therapists because the person inevitably ends up attacking the therapist in the process of treatment. Dialectical behavior therapy is probably the only proven treatment for BPD. This is an intensive type of therapy that spans several years and is not always successful. When seeking treatment make sure your therapist can do dialectical behavior therapy as this is a specialized treatment.

If you truly have BPD I wish you luck on your journey to recovery as it is a tough road to recovery.

Best of luck,
Dr. Wiliams