A large number of bloggers have done a far far better job than I could do, in describing what Borderline Personality Disorder is, and why it has such an intriguing (and slightly misleading!) name. To quote the National Institute of Mental Health in the United States: “borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness marked by unstable moods, behavior, and relationships“. What this means, how this manifests (in terms of symptoms), how it may arise, and how it can be treated, are described in a number of excellent ‘official’ sources, including charities and governmental organisations, both from the UK and the US. A selections of sites is given below:

BPD factsheet by Mind, the mental health charity

BPD information by SANE – changing mental health for good

Link to a BPD factsheet by Rethink Mental Illness

NHS information on Borderline Personality Disorder

BPD information from the NIMH in the US

In addition, for a wonderfully succinct yet insightful and comprehensive summary of BPD symptoms in layman’s terms, and from the perspective of someone with the diagnosis, I would like to point you to a post called ‘BPD symptoms‘ by ‘That Borderline Life’. It summarises not just the symptoms, but how it feels to experience them, from the inside. It is everything that I experience myself – but in a few short paragraphs.

If you have any questions about BPD, either before or after reading these sources or parts of my blog, please do feel free to get in touch using the comments below. I can only give my own opinion, drawn from the reading I have done and my personal experience, and this is no substitute for the opinion of a medical professional, particularly if you suspect you may have BPD or are concerned about someone who might. However, I am keen to reach out in any way I can, not just to those with the diagnosis, but to those who support someone with BPD, and so I always welcome comments and discussion on my blog!