Is Borderline Personality Disorder the Same as Emotional Immaturity? (2024)

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Is Borderline Personality Disorder the Same as Emotional Immaturity? (1)When a person has Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), they have a lot of difficulty regulating their emotions. Their emotional reactions are very intense and may seem out of proportion to events that have occurred.

To outside observers, the behaviors of a person with BPD may seem to be nothing more than a lack of emotional maturity. A person who is emotionally mature typically has the ability to take what life gives them, good or bad, and deal with it. They’re able to acknowledge and accept that they can’t always have their own way. Feelings can be felt and experienced, and then let go.
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What may appear to be emotional immaturity in a person with BPD goes much deeper than that. It’s really an issue of not having the skills to deal with extremely intense emotions. Behaviors that on the surface appear to be inappropriate are efforts to regulate their emotions since they don’t have other coping skills that work as fast or as well.

Characteristics of a Person with BPD

Difficulty regulating emotions is an important characteristic of BPD. A person with this form of mental illness feels emotions very intensely and continues to feel strong emotions for an extended period of time. After an intense emotional reaction has been triggered, it’s hard for them to return to a state of calmness.

Other characteristics of BPD include:

How a Person with BPD May Appear to Be Emotionally Immature

A person with BPD may appear to others to simply be a person whose emotional maturity has been stunted. They may have frequent and volatile mood swings, which often include trying to control the people around them. They may seem to believe the world revolves around them.

A person with BPD may appear to be emotionally immature because they often expect others to put their needs first. They’re frequently emotionally dependent on others and may appear to be trying to manipulate others to give them their way by inappropriate emotional reactions or acting out.

How BPD Goes Beyond Emotional Immaturity

A person with BPD has difficulty regulating their emotions, but not everyone who is emotionally immature has BPD. Both an emotionally immature person and a person with BPD may act in impulsive or reckless ways, and both may have dramatic mood swings.

A person with BPD has characteristics that go beyond emotional immaturity. The intense emotional reactions of a person with BPD are felt deeply, and their outbursts aren’t being done to manipulate others or to get a reaction out of them. They see things as black or white, and they are often unable to identify what emotions they’re experiencing. Their unpredictable and sometimes unreasonable behavior is triggered by an illness rather than a refusal to grow up.

Treatment of BPD

BPD is a personality disorder, which means that patterns of behavior are deeply ingrained and cause difficulty functioning in society. It was once thought of as an illness that was difficult or impossible to treat. Today, with evidence-based treatment options, it’s possible for a person with BPD to experience fewer and less volatile symptoms.

The most successful type of treatment for someone with BPD is talk therapy. Forms of talk therapy that have been shown to improve symptoms of BPD include:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy – This type of therapy can help the patient recognize negative thoughts and learn new behaviors and coping skills.
  • Dialectical behavior therapy – This treatment was initially created for people with BPD, and it’s an effective form of therapy that helps to reduce treatment dropout and suicidal behavior.
  • Mentalization-based therapy – This is a method of developing empathy for others and getting in touch with internal states.

The treatment process of BPD takes time and commitment to therapy. Working with a therapist who is specially trained in the treatment of BPD can lead to improved symptoms and good long-term outcomes.

If you or a loved one are struggling with BPD, depression, or anxiety, please contact us at (855) 409-0204 or submit the form below and a treatment specialist will contact you.

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Is Borderline Personality Disorder the Same as Emotional Immaturity? (2024)

FAQs

Is Borderline Personality Disorder the Same as Emotional Immaturity? ›

Both an emotionally immature person and a person with BPD may act in impulsive or reckless ways, and both may have dramatic mood swings. A person with BPD has characteristics that go beyond emotional immaturity.

What is the hardest mental illness to live with? ›

Borderline personality disorder is one of the most painful mental illnesses since individuals struggling with this disorder are constantly trying to cope with volatile and overwhelming emotions.

Can someone with BPD ever be happy? ›

The emotional state of a person with BPD fluctuates between calm and angry, happy and sad, loving and cold, and empathetic and apathetic. How they think, feel, and act can change at any time. Their intense emotions can be triggered by any event, no matter how insignificant it may seem at first glance.

What age does BPD peak? ›

According to research findings, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) generally emerges during late adolescence or early adulthood, typically between 18 and 25.

What happens to BPD as they age? ›

Mood swings, anger and impulsiveness often get better with age. But the main issues of self-image and fear of being abandoned, as well as relationship issues, go on. If you have borderline personality disorder, know that many people with this condition get better with treatment.

What hurts a borderline the most? ›

A person with BPD is highly sensitive to abandonment and being alone, which brings about intense feelings of anger, fear, suicidal thoughts and self-harm, and very impulsive decisions. When something happens in a relationship that makes them feel abandoned, criticized, or rejected, their symptoms are expressed.

What are BPD eyes? ›

Dissociation and Emotional Dysregulation in BPD

This might manifest as a "glazed-over" or "empty" look in their eyes, hence the term "empty eyes." This phenomenon is also associated with depersonalization or derealization, where individuals feel detached from themselves or their surroundings.

What does a BPD meltdown look like? ›

BPD Meltdown

These episodes involve intense emotional reactions that can be triggered by stress, rejection, or perceived abandonment. During a meltdown, people may experience extreme mood swings, impulsivity, and difficulty calming down.

Are borderlines capable of love? ›

Many people with borderline personality disorder are intuitive, empathetic, passionate, spontaneous, resilient, creative, curious, intense, intelligent, and courageous. When they are not triggered, they can love deeply and are committed to their partner and family.

What is the life expectancy of someone with BPD? ›

Results: People with Borderline Personality Disorder have a reduced life expectancy of some 20 years, attributable largely to physical health maladies, notably cardiovascular. Risk factors include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and smoking.

What are the four stages of BPD? ›

There are four widely accepted types of borderline personality disorder (BPD): discouraged, impulsive, petulant, and self-destructive BPD. You can suffer more than one kind of BPD simultaneously or at different stages in your life. Similarly, it is also possible for your condition not to fit any of these types of BPD.

What medication is best for borderline personality disorder? ›

Mood stabilizers and anticonvulsants are prescribed to help people with BPD even out dramatic mood swings and impulsive behavior. Commonly-prescribed mood stabilizers and anticonvulsants for those with BPD include: Lithobid (lithium) Depakote (valproate)

What does untreated BPD look like? ›

Many people with untreated BPD also experience unstable or chaotic personal relationships and have trouble keeping a job. They have an increased risk of divorce, estrangement from family members and rocky friendships. Legal and financial problems are also common.

Is BPD inherited from mother or father? ›

Conclusions: Parental externalizing psychopathology and father's BPD traits contribute genetic risk for offspring BPD traits, but mothers' BPD traits and parents' poor parenting constitute environmental risks for the development of these offspring traits.

What is an example of a BPD delusion? ›

Some common types of delusions that may occur in individuals with BPD include:
  • Persecutory delusions: Believing that one is being mistreated, harassed, or conspired against by others.
  • Grandiose delusions: Believing one possesses extraordinary abilities, talents, or powers.

What is the most painful mental disorder to live with? ›

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has long been believed to be a disorder that produces the most intense emotional pain and distress in those who have this condition. Studies have shown that borderline patients experience chronic and significant emotional suffering and mental agony.

What is the deadliest mental health disorder? ›

The anorexia death rate is the highest of all mental illnesses as it is a very complex and complicated disorder. It requires early diagnosis and access to care with close follow-up and often long-term treatment. Each patient's risk must be evaluated individually.

What is the most severe mental illness? ›

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that causes people to interpret reality abnormally. People may experience hallucinations, delusions, extremely disordered thinking and a reduced ability to function in their daily life.

What mental disorders have the worst quality of life? ›

Specifically, quality-of-life according to the HRQoL 15D findings were -0.13 to -0.14 for individuals with dysthmia, general anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, or social phobia; -0.09 for individuals with schizoaffective disorder; -0.06 for individuals with schizophrenia; and -0.05 for individuals with bipolar disorder.

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