borderline personality disorder
noun
: a personality disorder that is marked by unstable, intense emotions and mood with symptoms including instability in interpersonal relationships and self-image, fear of abandonment, and impulsive or unpredictable behavior and that has an onset during adolescence or early adulthood
Like others with borderline personality disorder, she had intense and unstable relationships with people that veered from adoration to intense hatred and jealousy the moment she felt the merest slight.—
Richard A. Friedman
Richard A. FriedmanBorderline personality disorder afflicts an estimated 1.3 percent of U.S. adults.—Bruce Bower
—abbreviation BPD
Bruce BowerExamples of borderline personality disorder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dawn, a teen mom who worked hard to pay for her daughter’s braces and loved to sing hymns, suffered from borderline personality disorder, depression and alcoholism, according to her family.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 29 May 2025
Although developed to treat depression, it’s also sometimes used to manage symptoms of mental health conditions like bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder (BPD), as well as issues with grief, social isolation, and relationship conflicts.
—Laura Dorwart, Verywell Health, 28 May 2025
Others may have borderline personality disorder or schizophrenia.
—Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
In November 1999, writer Joan Didion started seeing Roger MacKinnon, a New York psychiatrist, on the recommendation of the psychiatrist who was treating her daughter Quintana for borderline personality disorder, depression, and alcoholism.
—Heller McAlpin, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025
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Sam Gillette, People.com, 29 May 2025
Although developed to treat depression, it’s also sometimes used to manage symptoms of mental health conditions like bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder (BPD), as well as issues with grief, social isolation, and relationship conflicts.
—Laura Dorwart, Verywell Health, 28 May 2025
Others may have borderline personality disorder or schizophrenia.
—Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
In November 1999, writer Joan Didion started seeing Roger MacKinnon, a New York psychiatrist, on the recommendation of the psychiatrist who was treating her daughter Quintana for borderline personality disorder, depression, and alcoholism.
—Heller McAlpin, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borderline personality disorder
Cite this Entry
“Borderline personality disorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borderline%20personality%20disorder. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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borderline personality disorder
noun
: a personality disorder that is marked by unstable, intense emotions and mood with symptoms including instability in interpersonal relationships and self-image, fear of abandonment, and impulsive or unpredictable behavior and that has an onset during adolescence or early adulthood
Borderline personality disorder afflicts an estimated 1.3 percent of U.S. adults.—Bruce Bower
—abbreviation BPD
Bruce BowerLove words? Need even more definitions?
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