Symptoms of Borderline Personality disorder in males

It has been thought that women were mostly diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, and it still may be with men being so misdiagnosed, and as you can see from this article that men have Borderline Personality disorder as well.

Borderline personality disorder in males

• Show do not change

  Contact Email

  Contact Email2

  Contact Url

  Subscribe to Blog

  Remember my Info

borderline disorder

Photo credit:

Flickr

"If your foundational belief is that everyone abandons you, you'll orchestrate your relationships in such a way, that you keep getting to be right about it; this is called a payoff." Shari Schreiber


 

What was once thought of as a primarily female disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder is now recognized as something which affects males and females in equal numbers. Various factors, including gender bias, cultural stereotyping, and manifestation of symptoms have kept the male borderline hidden, or at the very least misdiagnosed. But research now suggests that this disorder is equally prevalent among men and is much more common among the population as a whole than previously believed. Whereas bpd was once thought to affect about 3% of the population with 75% of those being female, estimates are now as high as 6% with men and women affected in equal numbers.


Let’s look at some of the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder in males:




Unstable relationships. Borderline men have a difficult time forming long-lasting romantic relationships. As a result the tend to have many short-term unstable intense relationships. As soon as one relationship ends the borderline male will begin pursuing a new one. For these men it's all about the rebound and the chase. They will often carry on multiple simultaneous relationships at once.


Love Addict / Love Phobic. The borderline male is a walking contradiction; he is a true paradox. He is both addicted to love in terms of the chase, the romance, and the sex, and fearful of it because of his underlying fears of intimacy and commitment. He will be incredibly romantic and sensitive initially, seemingly too good to be true. However once the chase is over and he has secured a woman's heart his backpedaling will begin.


Narcissistic / Insecure. Once again the borderline male is a paradox. He can appear to be incredibly confident, dashing, cavalier and quite full of himself. However beneath this thin veil of narcissism lives a very insecure man who feels both unworthy and unlovable.


Substance Abuse. Like women, borderline men also tend to abuse alcohol and/or drugs. Because of their inability to self-soothe or deal with their emotional pain in healthy ways, drugs and alcohol are a quick and easy escape for them.


Suicidal thoughts. Borderline men often engage in suicidal thoughts or behavior. Half of all borderlines attempt suicide at least once, and 10% go on to commit suicide.


Hypersensitive. Borderline men are hypersensitive to real or perceived criticism. They are incredibly “thin skinned”. Any perceived criticism can send them into an angry rage.


Suspicious, untrusting , and jealous. Because their internal dialogue is that they are "unworthy" and "unlovable" borderline men are incredibly jealous when they are in relationships. No matter how much they are reassured they are simply incapable of trusting. They will often test women, sometimes over and over in an attempt to reassure themselves. "Stalking" behavior is not uncommon for borderline men.


Reckless behavior. Borderline men engage is risky, impulsive, or reckless behavior. This can include things such as reckless driving, drinking and driving, promiscuous sex, gambling, overspending, etc.


Low self esteem. Because of his low sense of self the borderline male is likely to get involved with women who he perceives as "needy" or more unstable that he is. He will always choose-down when it comes to relationships. This gives him an opportunity to play the role of hero or rescuer. Any woman who seems whole or has greater resources than he's recognized in himself, activates his abandonment fears.


Other disorders. Men with BPD often have other mental health issues. These include depression, social anxiety, elements of NPD and AvPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Avoidant Personality Disorder), and OCD.





There is no cure for Borderline Personality Disorder. With the proper treatment and time patients can make improvements. Like most personality disorders, borderline personality disorder typically will decrease in intensity with age, with many people experiencing few of the most extreme symptoms by the time they are in the 40s or 50s.


For more information on Borderline Personality Disorder check out The Borderline Central website





Source material: BPDCentral.com, LATimes.com, Gettinbetter.com, Wikipedia