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Personality

Borderline personality disorder (BPD)

Instability in emotions, relationships and self-image, with fear of abandonment, impulsivity and a sense of emptiness. Effective treatments exist.

Common signs

Very intense, changeable emotionsIntense fear of abandonmentImpulsivity and a sense of emptiness

Tips

For you

  1. Dialectical behaviour therapy and other specialist therapies are effective
  2. Practise distress tolerance skills
  3. If at any point you think about harming yourself, call 024 or 112. You don't have to go through this alone.

For family and friends

  1. Validate the emotion even if you don't agree with the behaviour
  2. Keep limits stable and predictable

When to ask for help

  1. If there is self-harm or thoughts of death: 024 or 112
  2. If the seizures are frequent

Are you having a really hard time? If you're thinking of harming yourself, call 024 (free, 24 hours) or 112.

Guidance test

Answer thinking about the last few weeks. There are 8 questions and you get your result straight away. Your answers are not saved or sent.

0 of 8
1. My emotions change very quickly and very intensely
2. I'm terrified of being abandoned
3. My relationships are intense and unstable
4. My self-image changes a lot
5. I do impulsive things that harm me
6. I feel empty
7. I have intense anger that I find hard to control
8. Under stress I feel disconnected or suspicious

Free resources

Downloadable PDF sheetSigns, tips and resources to print or saveFull article: Borderline personality disorderFree resource from Clínica Vivaldi024 suicide crisis line (Spain, free, 24 h)Free external resourceAll our free guidesFree resource from Clínica Vivaldi

Related disorders

Paranoid personality disorderPersonalitySchizoid personality disorderPersonalitySchizotypal personality disorderPersonalityAntisocial personality disorderPersonality

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Reviewed by María Teresa Fernández Vicente, health psychologist and neuropsychologist (registration no. CV17304), in November 2026. Educational information prepared by the Clínica Vivaldi team based on the DSM-5-TR classification. It does not replace a professional assessment and cannot be used to diagnose.