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    Borderline personality disorder

    边缘型人格障碍

    Clinical diagnosis
    Also called
    BPD, borderline pattern, borderline personality

    What is borderline personality disorder (BPD)?

    Borderline personality disorder is a long-standing personality disorder marked by pervasive instability in relationships, self-image and emotions, along with marked impulsivity.[1][2] Common features include frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, chronic emptiness, intense anger and repeated self-harm.[1][2]

    Nine features in four areas (schematic)

    Two ways to diagnose

    Schematic, not a self-test.

    Select any box or the chart for details.
    Schematic: the top groups the nine diagnostic features into four areas (the grouping is ours); the middle compares how DSM-5 and ICD-11 make the diagnosis. The two curves below are real data from a 16-year follow-up study (Zanarini et al. 2012, Tables 1 and 3), showing cumulative rates of symptom remission and of full recovery. Select a part for details. Select a part for details
    Schematic: the top groups the nine diagnostic features into four areas (the grouping is ours); the middle compares how DSM-5 and ICD-11 make the diagnosis. The two curves below are real data from a 16-year follow-up study (Zanarini et al. 2012, Tables 1 and 3), showing cumulative rates of symptom remission and of full recovery. Select a part for details. Save as image (PNG)

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    Key points

    • ICD-11 replaced personality disorder types with a severity rating and trait domains; an optional borderline pattern, the only type-like label kept, helps identify people suited to certain psychotherapies.[1][2]
    • Reported lifetime prevalence in adults is 0.7–2.7%, about 12% among psychiatric outpatients and 22% among inpatients. Depression, anxiety and substance use disorders often co-occur.[2]
    • In a 16-year study of 290 people first seen as inpatients, 99% had a symptom remission lasting at least two years, but only 60% also regained good social and work functioning.[3]
    • NICE advises against drugs aimed at BPD itself or its individual symptoms.[4] Structured psychotherapies such as DBT and mentalization-based treatment come first, with no approach clearly superior.[2]

    An example

    Lin’s mood often swings within hours. When a friend is slow to reply, she fears being left, sends a dozen messages, then says she never wants to hear from them again. She often can’t say who she is or what she wants. Whether this is a lasting pattern across situations that causes real distress is for a professional to assess.[1]

    Misreadings and limits

    This page is not for self-diagnosis. Moodiness and risk-taking are more common in adolescence, and behavior confined to one relationship is not enough for a diagnosis.[1] BPD is treatable, and NICE says no one should be refused services because of the diagnosis or self-harm.[4] Repeated self-harm or thoughts of suicide call for prompt help from a doctor or mental health professional.[4]

    If you need help now

    If you’re struggling to cope or having thoughts of harming yourself:

    If you’re in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.

    Psyfield is not a crisis service. Numbers checked October 2026.

    Sources

    1. 1 World Health Organization (2025). 6D10 Personality disorder; 6D11.5 Borderline pattern. ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics (2025-01 release). View source
    2. 2 Leichsenring, F., Fonagy, P., Heim, N., Kernberg, O. F., Leweke, F., Luyten, P., Salzer, S., Spitzer, C., & Steinert, C. (2024). Borderline personality disorder: A comprehensive review of diagnosis and clinical presentation, etiology, treatment, and current controversies. World Psychiatry, 23(1), 4–25. doi:10.1002/wps.21156
    3. 3 Zanarini, M. C., Frankenburg, F. R., Reich, D. B., & Fitzmaurice, G. (2012). Attainment and stability of sustained symptomatic remission and recovery among patients with borderline personality disorder and axis II comparison subjects: A 16-year prospective follow-up study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(5), 476–483. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.11101550
    4. 4 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2009). Borderline personality disorder: Recognition and management (CG78). NICE clinical guideline (presentational update July 2024). View source

    Last checked against sources: October 28, 2026