BPD is diagnosed based on the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This is the standard resource used by healthcare providers to diagnose mental health disorders. Five of the nine criteria must be met in order for BPD to be formally diagnosed by a mental health professional.
Below is a borderline personality disorder test with nine questions. If you answer “yes” to a few of these questions, consider speaking to a mental health professional.
Borderline Personality Disorder Test
Answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions to get a better understanding of borderline personality disorder traits.
1. Do you have persistent fears of being abandoned?
A person with BPD may make frantic efforts to avoid being abandoned, whether this is imagined or real. They may start relationships quickly and also end them quickly so they don’t risk being the one who is left.
2. Do you have a history of unstable and chaotic relationships?
Someone with BPD often shows a pattern of intense and unstable relationships. They may alternate between:
Idealizing: Attributing overly positive qualities to another personDevaluing: Experiencing someone as completely flawed or as having extremely negative qualities
A commonly used defense mechanism in people with BPD involves splitting. This means they see people and things as either all good or all bad in a black-or-white way with no in-between. There is a psychological defense mechanism that tries to protect someone from an unmanageable feeling of conflict that might emerge In a relationship.
3. Do you often feel like you do not know who you are or what you believe?
An unstable self-image or sense of self is common with BPD. This can affect many areas of a person’s life. Identity disturbance in BPD can cause a person to frequently change their beliefs, behaviors, or values.
This unstable self-image can lead to problems understanding who you are in relation to other people. This can lead to boundary issues in relationships.
4. Are you impulsive In ways that are potentially self-damaging?
Impulsivity or the tendency to do things without thinking first can cause reckless behavior. Criteria for a diagnosis of BPD include impulsivity in at least two areas that are seen as self-damaging.
Some examples of impulsivity are:
Reckless drivingShopping spreesUnprotected sex
5. Have you intentionally hurt yourself or become suicidal?
BPD can result in recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats. It can also result in self-mutilating or non-suicidal self-injury behaviors such as:
CuttingBitingBruisingBurningHead-banging
6. Are you highly reactive and prone to rapid and intense mood swings?
BPD can lead to periods of intense mood swings and instability. Moods may change quickly, often, and intensely, generally In response to interpersonal stress. This is called affective instability and may cause a person to experience extreme episodes of:
Dysphoria (discontent and agitation) Irritability Anxiety
7. Do you have feelings of emptiness that you cannot shake?
BPD can create a chronic feeling of emptiness inside. This is different from an unstable self-image. It is also separate from feeling hopeless or lonely.
8. Are you prone to rage or unable to control your temper?
Problems controlling anger and experiencing intense anger can occur in BPD. Anger is often triggered by:
SeparationsDisagreements RejectionReal or perceived abandonment
9. Do you get paranoid or shut down during stress?
Brief episodes of paranoid thinking can occur In stressful situations, and make a person fear others. Severe dissociative symptoms can also happen under stress. Dissociation refers to feeling like you are disconnected from your body, thoughts, feelings, and surroundings.
What to Do
If you answer “yes” to a few of the above questions, you should consider speaking with a qualified mental health professional, particularly if any of these experiences are causing you a lot of distress or interfering with your quality of life.
Keep in mind that the results of this test do not mean you have BPD. Only a mental health professional can do a full assessment and make an official diagnosis.
There are treatment options for people with BPD that can lessen symptoms and improve your quality of life. In addition, studies show that the overall rate of remission (improvement of symptoms) among people treated for BPD can be high, and symptoms can improve with time.
