Borderline Personality Disorder & ADHD: How These Conditions Interact

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a Cluster B Personality disorder characterized by instability in relationships, self-image, and emotions. BPD can cause affected people to display emotional, erratic, or dramatic symptoms. BPD is the third most prevalent personality disorder, affecting approximately 1.6% of the global population. People with BPD are more likely to require more intensive mental health care.

BPD Symptoms

People with BPD may display symptoms in various ways, however, they must experience at least five of the following symptoms: efforts to avoid abandonment, unstable and intense relationships, unstable self-image, impulsivity, suicidality or self-harm, reactive mood, chronic feelings of emptiness, inappropriate anger, and stress-related symptoms. It is important to note that people with BPD are at a much higher risk for suicide or self-harm than most people in the general population. The risk for suicide among people with BPD is 40 times higher than it is among the general population.

Causes of BPD

Although research is still ongoing into the causes of BPD, there are a few factors that have been correlated with a higher risk. The first factor, genetics, has been associated with a higher risk due to BPD running in families, although no specific genes play a significant role. The second factor, abuse has also been linked to a higher risk of BPD. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect are all risk factors for BPD. Brain differences in people with BPD also increase risk due to a disconnect between the brain centers that control emotion and behavior.

BPD and ADHD Correlation 

According to research, ADHD commonly co-occurs with BPD with 10% to 27% of people with BPD also meeting the criteria for ADHD. People with inattentive ADHD are less likely to have BPD. Additionally, women are commonly misdiagnosed with BPD. It can be difficult at times to differentiate the two conditions because they display similar symptoms such as emotional dysregulation and impulsivity. However, the unique symptoms of BPD include feelings of emptiness and stress-related psychotic symptoms. On the other hand, attention difficulties and hyperfocus often points toward ADHD. There is new and upcoming research suggesting that childhood ADHD may develop into BPD later on in life. The underlying reason for the correlation is unknown, although research is ongoing.

Treatment for BPD

BPD has a range of different treatments such as Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mentalization-based treatment (MBT), schema-focused therapy (SFT), and transference-focused therapy (TFP). There are also several medications used to treat specific symptoms of BPD such as antipsychotic medications, mood stabilizers, and antidepressants. 

Edited by TLC Intern: Griffin Snow