Can you tell if you have BPD? (+5 Easy solutions)
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This detailed article will be answering if you can tell if you have BPD or Borderline Personality Disorder. We will also be checking out a few things that you can do to help yourself if you have Borderline Personality Disorder.
Can you tell if you have BPD?
Yes, you can tell if you have BPD. If you are demonstrating the following signs and symptoms, there is a chance that you might be having Borderline Personality Disorder.
- Your self-esteem has been dipping
- Your moods keep shifting
- You feel very empty for long periods of time
- You can be intense in your relationships
- You fear that people will abandon you
- You get angry a lot
- You have tried to harm yourself
- Your perspective about others change often
- You keep suspecting others
- You feel that you are not living in reality
- You hear voices in your head
- You have taken part in dangerous activities
- You have been called very clingy
Your self-esteem has been dipping
If you feel that your self-esteem and your self-identity has been distorted as of late, this may indicate the presence of Borderline Personality Disorder. BPD can lead you to feel that you are a different person altogether.
Your moods keep shifting
If your moods keep shifting without any proper explanation, this is also a symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder. You might also find that your moods are actually very intensive and severe in nature. For instance, extreme elation and extreme depression may be felt.
You feel very empty for long periods of time
You may also feel very empty, that your life has no meaning and is worthless. These feelings of emptiness are felt in Borderline Personality Disorder, but also felt in other mental illnesses like depression.
You can be intense in your relationships
One characteristic sign of Borderline Personality Disorder is that you may display enormous levels of intensity in your relationships, especially romantic relationships. In fact, Borderline Personality Disorder leads to a specific pattern in terms of relationships.
You might get very attached to someone you barely know and may even make grand gestures in order to pursue them. You might also constantly feel that your partner actually does not love you as much and may fear that they will leave you at any time.
You fear that people will abandon you
Just as in the case of romantic relationships, even in other relationships, Borderline Personality Disorder can lead to fear of abandonment. If you are always living in the fear that those close to you will leave you and go, without any specific reason, this may also be a sign of BPD.
You get angry a lot
Borderline Personality Disorder can also lead to anger issues. If you are finding that you get angry a lot and also inflicting violence on others, it may be because you are struggling with Borderline Personality Disorder.
You have tried to harm yourself
Another main symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder is self-harming tendencies and behaviors. If you have tried to harm yourself out of anger or any other reason, you need to immediately call for help and surround yourself with people whom you trust.
Your perspective about others change often
Borderline Personality Disorder can also cause you to constantly change your perspectives and opinions about other people. You might find them friendly and positive at one point and may immediately find them repulsive in the next few days.
You keep suspecting others
Borderline Personality Disorder can also lead to high levels of paranoia in some people. If you find that you are continuously suspecting others of harmful behavior towards your or others, you may be struggling with BPD.
You feel that you are not living in reality
One more common symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder is that it can cause you to feel that you are actually not living in reality. You might often feel disconnected from yourself, as if you are a spectator. This is called dissociation.
You hear voices in your head
In some people, Borderline Personality Disorder can lead to hallucinations, particularly auditory hallucinations. The voices may address the person directly and may even give them certain orders.
You have taken part in dangerous activities
Borderline Personality Disorder can also drive you to put yourself in danger and take part in very reckless activities. You might find that you are ready to participate in unsafe sex, may increase your drinking habits or may even be ready to do illegal things.
You have been called very clingy
Borderline Personality Disorder can definitely lead you to change your approaches in relationships. Your partner or someone whom you are romantically interested in may have called you clingy or too attached in the relationship.
What to do if you have BPD?
If you have been diagnosed with BPD, your consultant psychiatrist would have taken care of the medical approach to your treatment, whether it is through therapy or medications. You can also use the following ways to cope with your BPD.
- Learn to be more aware of yourself: BPD can lead you to experience intense and swinging emotions. You can cope with this by learning more about what factors trigger these emotions and how they manifest physically.
Once you learn how your emotions manifest themselves in your body and mind, you can learn to avoid these trigger factors, or can even practice certain relaxation or grounding techniques to bring down your stress levels.
- Practice grounding activities: At times of stress or when you are aware that your emotions are flaring up, you can practice grounding activities. These come in a lot of variety but are primarily intended to stimulate your senses to reduce stress.
Some people find that their stress levels go down when they run their hands under some cold water or wash their face. Others may experience grounding when they walk barefoot on the grass. Exercises like this can definitely help if you have Borderline Personality Disorder.
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol: Another healthy thing that you can do for your mental health is to avoid stimulants like caffeine. It is wise to also avoid alcohol and other mood-altering substances which can act as triggers.
- Workout everyday: Physical exercise can also help in your mental health and bring some more stability to your moods. When you work-out, your body produces happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin which are important for mental health.
You can also use your physical exercise as a form of self-care routine. Just choose an activity that is fun and moderately challenging for you. You can even include a workout-buddy for social motivation and more fun.
- Socialize healthily: Borderline Personality Disorder can play havoc with your relationships and you might feel that you hardly know anything about people anymore. Healthy social interactions with others can help you here.
You can even join a support group where you can meet those who are going through the same thing as you. Here, you will feel less judged and you will be able to form social bonds in a safe space.
You can also use a support system of close friends and trusted people who know about your diagnosis. You can also make them aware of your trigger factors and your coping techniques so that they can help you calm down and manage the situation better.
Conclusion
This detailed article has answered if you can tell if you have BPD or Borderline Personality Disorder. We have also checked out a few things that you can do to help yourself if you have Borderline Personality Disorder.
If you like this article, please post your comments and questions in the space below.
Citations
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