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Mental Health: Facts & Statistics
BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER
- Originally thought to be at the "borderline" of psychosis, people with BPD suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation. – National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
- While less well known than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), BPD is more common, affecting 2 percent of adults, mostly young women. – National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
- Patients often need extensive mental health services, and account for 20 percent of psychiatric hospitalizations. – National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
- Symptoms Include:
- A person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day
- These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse
- Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values
- Sometimes people with BPD view themselves as fundamentally bad, or unworthy
- May feel unfairly misunderstood or mistreated, bored, empty, and have little idea who they are
- People with BPD often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships
– National Institute of Mental Health, 2001
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Subsections:
Myths & Facts:
Specific Mental Illnesses:
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