Almost the exact same idea appears as a caption on one of the many videos on the topic on TikTok – content under the hashtag #bpdisorder has amassed over 500,000 views at the time of writing. Much of it is people sharing their own experiences, sometimes with an injection of humour, and a recurring theme that comes up is heartbreak and toxic relationships. That’s how 21-year-old Mae felt when she was told earlier this year that she had borderline personality disorder – and it’s a sentiment shared on social media by many others with that diagnosis.

Your offering of empathy and support could very well save a life. Reading all of your stories is incredibly helpful to me. I split up with my GF of 3,5 years, who I suspect to have BPD, six months ago. Well, actually I think it was rather her, who after all these tumultuous years, finally blocked me . She comes from a broken family, had a horrible childhood, and has basically broken up like that with everyone she has ever been with. While she has now “moved on”, posting pictures with at least three girls only days (!!!) after we broke up.

You’ll want to find a therapist who’s has experience working with DBT and with people who have borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder is a mental health issue that causes emotional instability and can affect how people manage their moods and interact with other people. Since then, Aziz-Kamara has been dating with more care and intention.

They tend to idealize people who are simply being nice to them. The length of a BPD cycle depends on the nature of the disorder and the individual’s response to treatment. However, the average length of a BPD relationship isn’t set. The stages of the BPD relationship cycle check it out might not appear in some relationships or differ from person to person. Even though people with BPD often experience intense and overwhelming emotions, the right treatment and support can make a difference. Individuals with BPD often have a very fragile sense of self.

The people I love mean so much to me that I hate it when we get into fights. After yelling at them, I find myself running off and crying because the entire argument ever happened. I have a friend who is drifting away from me and losing her makes me so sad and guilty that I sometimes feel suicidal.

SHOULD I BREAK UP WITH MY GIRLFRIEND: Quizzes & Top 10 Ovbious Signs

As its use in psychiatry and psychology evolved, the diagnosis of BPD became more precise. However, therapists still continued to use BPD as a catch-all diagnosis, sometimes reserving it for their clients who were most resistant to treatment. In many ways, people with BPD were the clients that therapists loved to hate. Finally, be aware that many people in your position are misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all.

While people with quiet BPD often seem fine outwardly, they are struggling inside with feelings of intense loneliness, shame, or self-criticism. BPD is estimated to affect about 1.6% of the population at any one time. However, some estimates put the percentage closer to 6%.

If your ex becomes angry or reactive, don’t give them the attention they seek. Instead, set firm limits to the amount of communication between you both. How changes over time in two types of narcissistic traits are related to changes in relationship satisfaction.

However, clinical practice and literature have acknowledged it’s a common concern for both people with BPD and their partners. The BPD relationship cycle isn’t a formal symptom of the condition. If the relationship doesn’t end, and you solve the challenges, they may also restart the cycle.

There are a lot of misconceptions about dating someone with BPD. A lot of time is given to the negative side of the extreme emotions involved. However, extreme emotions also work on the positive side, meaning someone with BPD is capable of giving love and affection in the same way. This will be very demanding, but your patience is the key to making it work. A person with BPD can develop better behaviors, so you just need to support them through the learning process.

How to cope if you’re in a relationship with someone with BPD

By gradually acknowledging them, people with BPD may be able to accept not only these feelings but also gain greater self-awareness and acceptance. However, it’s important to recognize that people with BPD don’t want to make your life, or theirs, miserable. They don’t want the relationship to end badly, it just does. 79 adults with BPD completed a questionnaire testing the fascinating term “alexithymia” meaning, simply, the inability to read emotions in others. If people with BPD can feel, but not identify, emotions, this could provide clues to their problematic relationships with others.

Sexual abuse can cause life-long complications in relationships. Instability is common in relationships where one person has BPD. Many people with BPD are afraid of intimacy, so instead of getting too close to someone they fear might leave or hurt them, they push them away or withdraw from the relationship. That can present obvious problems in a relationship, especially when you’re just getting to know someone and have no idea where things are heading. As challenging as these symptoms can be, they don’t mean you should give up on someone you care about just because they have a BPD diagnosis. It just means that both of your lives — and your relationship — will benefit if you educate yourself about the condition, symptoms, and what to expect.

Instead, make conversation about shared interests and light topics. Considering the intensity of your partner’s emotions, choosing something relaxing will help, such as listening to music or walking in nature. Means having to cope with often nerve-wracking emotional rollercoasters.