An individual must meet at least five of the following criteria:

1. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment

2. A pattern of unstable and intense relationships, alternating between idealization and devaluation

3. Persistently unstable self-image

4. Impulsivity in at least two areas that are self-damaging, i.e. promiscuity, spending, binge eating, substance abuse, reckless driving

5. Recurrent suicidal or self-injurious behaviors

6. Intense feelings that fluctuate lasting a few hours to a few days

7. Chronic feelings of emptiness

8. Inappropriate intense anger or difficulty controlling anger

9. Stress related paranoid feelings or severe dissociative symptoms 

Borderline personality disorder is a severe mental illness that affects up to 2% of the population. It affects men and women equally, with women more likely to seek treatment. Of all the statistics, there is one that is most important: like heart disease, like cancer, BPD can be a fatal illness…10% of those meeting diagnostic criteria complete suicide. Those affected can recover. With good treatment and a stable support system, those diagnosed with BPD have a good prognosis. There is indeed hope.