5 Ways to Spot Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

1. Connect Risk Factors and Symptoms

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) isn't easily attributable to any one cause, nor is it always easy to distinguish from the other disorders that share the pattern of symptoms. People with Borderline Personality Disorder tend to have turbulent mood swings, trouble maintaining friendships and frequent changes in the way they view the world and their place in it. Since these symptoms are also common to mood disorders, connecting risk factors to symptoms can often be helpful in differentiating BPD from other conditions.

There are three main factors to consider: genetics, environment and trauma. Ask yourself whether a close relative is known to have the disorder. If so, the symptoms you are seeing are much more likely to be connected to BPD. Then, take a look at childhood experiences. Many people with Borderline Personality Disorder have experienced neglect, abuse or abandonment in their earlier years.

Looking at these factors alone isn't enough to determine whether a person has Borderline Personality Disorder--it just confirms that the possibility is greater. But when you're already questioning whether symptoms are connected to the disorder, knowing that the risks exist can help you make sense of what you're seeing.

2. Recognize Depression

Though the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder are complicated, Dr. Lorraine S. Roth introduced the mnemonic "DARE" as an quick way to spot the most common presentations of the condition. Each letter stands for a set of behaviors, or symptoms, exhibited in one form or another by people with the disorder. The behaviors typically begin in early adulthood, if not sooner, and are persistent. The "D" in DARE stands for depression, destruction and denial. People with this disorder tend to have a underlying mood of depression, to which they return after major mood swings. You won't hear them say so outright--that's the "D" for denial--but the typical destructive behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse, self-injury, wild risk-taking and impulsiveness are indicators. The self-destructive behaviors may not be active suicide attempts, but they show a self-loathing often associated with depression.

3. Look for Anger

Be aware of excessive anger and take into account a history of abandonment and abuse. These are the "As" of the DARE mnemonic. People with BPD tend to be irrationally angry at the whole world and express that anger in a variety of ways. Most often people will get angry in a way that echoes what they learned as children. Therefore, you may see someone who was emotionally abused strike out verbally or someone who was abandoned get fiercely angry and be "all done" with a friend.

4. Find Relationship Problems

The most common symptom of BPD is an ongoing pattern of trouble with interpersonal relationships. People with BPD repeatedly lose jobs for personal reasons, change partners often and have few long-standing friends. The "R" in DARE refers the repetition of self-destructive behavior and the regrets that go with it.

5. Notice Emergencies

Look for extreme behaviors used to combat a sense of boredom and unhappiness with life. Emergency situations, extreme behaviors and ennui are the "Es" of DARE. If your multi-pierced, heavily tattooed relative is frequently rushed to the emergency room for drug or alcohol overdoses or displays excessive promiscuity, she may suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder.