Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month

By Christine Larsen, MS, LBS, Behavioral Health Manager

May is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Awareness Month. BPD is currently thought to occur in up to 2.7% of the population. People who have BPD struggle with their mood and impulses, in addition to having difficulties with interpersonal relationships. Because some of these traits are also common in intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), recognizing and treating BPD in this population can be challenging. Overlapping traits like intense emotions; rigid thinking; impaired ability to identify and label emotions; and relationship conflicts can be amplified when an individual is dually-diagnosed. Below are some facts about BPD that can helpraise awareness and clarify common myths and misconceptions.

https://dbtsandiego.com/files/research/Adapted_DBT_for_Disabilities-2013.pdf

• BPD is generally considered to be caused or exacerbated by early trauma or adverselife events. Because individuals with IDD are at an increased risk of experiencing trauma and adversity, this connection is important to note.
• BPD can and does occur in the IDD population. Prevalence rates are hard to pin down, given many symptoms rely on self-reporting. Someone with IDD may not be able to conceptualize or articulate an experience like “chronic feelings of emptiness”, for example.  
• BPD is associated with a shorter life expectancy. This can beexplained by factors like co-occurring chronic illnesses stemming from early adversity, and a higher risk of suicidal ideation and behaviors.
• BPD is considered a controversial diagnosis by many in the field. Some researchers and clinicians feel that a diagnosis of BPD is pathologizing the victims of trauma. It could also be argued that because personality disorders are acquired during early development, the traits are simply another form of neurodivergence, and not necessarily a problem to be“fixed”, unless there’s significant distress to the individuals and others.  
• BPD can be managed through therapies like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mentalization-Based-Therapy (MBT), and Schema Therapy (ST).  Sometimes psychiatric medication is prescribed to target certain symptoms like mood instability and impulsivity.

References:

Laurini, O., Strugarek, P., & Rahioui, H. (2025).Borderline personality: revisiting its classification as a neurodevelopmentaldisorder. Frontiers in psychiatry, 16, 1587778. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1587778

Paris J. (2019). Suicidality in Borderline Personality Disorder. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 55(6), 223. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55060223

Fletcher, Robert J, Jarrett Barnhill, Sally-Ann Cooper, andissuing body National Association for the Dually Diagnosed. DM-ID-2 :Diagnostic Manual, Intellectual Disability : A Textbook of Diagnosis of MentalDisorders in Persons with Intellectual Disability. Edited by Robert J.Fletcher, Jarrett Barnhill, and Sally-Ann Cooper. Second edition. Kingston, NewYork: NADD Press, 2016.

Resources:
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‍https://www.ticllc.org/dbt-resources