Mood Swings in Borderline Personality Disorder

Mood swings are a common but often distressing feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Unlike the regular emotional ups and downs that most people experience, mood swings in BPD tend to be intense and rapid. It may feel like an emotional rollercoaster, with mood shifts happening in response to minor events.

People with borderline personality disorder also tend to have an unstable sense of self and extreme fear of abandonment. BPD is part of the Cluster B personality disorders, which are marked by dramatic, emotional, or erratic behavior.

One moment, a person with BPD might feel connected and happy, and the next, they may be plunged into extreme anger, anxiety, or despair. Such emotional fluctuations can make everyday life feel overwhelming and unpredictable, both for people with the condition and those around them.

Keep reading to learn more about the typical pattern of mood swings in BPD and how they are different from mood swings that we all experience from time to time. In addition, there are many co-occurring symptoms that a person with BPD will typically experience, which can help differentiate it from other conditions.

Mood Swings in BPD

Everyone experiences emotional ups and downs, but certain factors can help distinguish regular mood changes from mood swings in BPD.

People with BPD tend to experience mood swings that are more intense and frequent than the typical person and last between a few hours and a few days.

Intensity

While it’s normal for your mood to shift from feeling good to feeling down, someone with BPD might go from feeling okay to devastated, desperate, or hopeless within moments, often for minor reasons.

Many people with BPD feel so overwhelmed by these intense emotional shifts that they engage in impulsive behaviors to feel better, including:

• Binge eating
• Self-harm
• Substance abuse
• Suicidal thoughts or behaviors

Frequency

Mood swings in BPD can happen frequently. Someone with BPD might experience many mood swings within a day, while most people have only one or two major mood shifts in a week.

Duration

In addition, while most people have times in their lives when they are more emotionally vulnerable than other times, people with BPD experience emotional ups and downs consistently for years. This can result in unstable interpersonal relationships with loved ones, friends, and colleagues.

Presence of Other Symptoms

Other symptoms of BPD may include:

What Triggers Mood Swing in BPD?

Mood swings in BPD can also be distinguished from other types of mood problems by examining the triggers that precede the mood shift.

Other external triggers can include:

Though researchers are still trying to understand the borderline personality brain, they know that its fight-or-flight response is easily triggered, causing the brain’s rational part to turn off and the survival instinct to turn on. This makes the person act inappropriately or in ways that are out of proportion to the situation.

Do Mood Swings Equal BPD?

Keep in mind that even if you have mood swings that fit the description above, this is just one of a number of symptoms of BPD. Having mood swings alone is not enough to warrant a diagnosis of BPD.

Other factors or conditions that can cause mood swings include:

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the similarity in symptoms can often contribute to misdiagnosis. Research suggests that around 40% of people who meet the diagnostic criteria for BPD are misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder.

If you find that your emotional ups and downs are interfering with your work, school, relationships, or enjoyment of life, it makes sense to seek professional help. Remember it’s essential to take good care of your emotional health, just as you would your physical health.

Treatments for BPD Mood Swings

While BPD was characterized as challenging to treat in the past, more recent researchers have found that treatment can be effective. Therapy often focuses on aspects of emotional regulation and may include:

• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): A form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that incorporates aspects of mindfulness to help people tolerate distress, regulate emotions, and improve relationships.
• Mentalization-based treatment (MBT): A form of therapy that helps people with BPD learn to better recognize their own mental state so they are better able to regulate emotions and behaviors.
• Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP): A BPD treatment that utilizes the therapist-client relationship to help people learn to relate to others more effectively and have healthier social interactions
• Schema-focused therapy (SFT): A form of therapy that incorporates aspects of CBT and other therapies; it focuses on identifying and changing certain types of unhealthy thinking

Coping With BPD Mood Swings

Borderline personality disorder mood swings can be distressing and disruptive, but there are things that you can do to cope. Some steps that can help you manage the emotional ups and downs you might experience include:

• Getting treatment: If you have symptoms of BPD, it is essential to talk to a mental health professional. Getting a diagnosis and starting a treatment plan is critical for managing mood swings and other symptoms.
• Follow your treatment plan: Once you start treatment, adhering to your therapy schedule and taking your medication can lead to significant improvements. Research has found that consistent adherence to treatment can greatly reduce BPD symptoms.
• Identify your triggers: Because mood swings are often triggered by external sources, it is essential to figure out what tends to cause a shift in mood. Using a mood tracker or journal can help you spot patterns to utilize coping strategies when you encounter a stressful situation in your environment.

Takeaways

Mood swings in BPD can create distress and disruptions in your life. They can make it difficult to maintain healthy relationships and can create a tremendous amount of emotional turmoil. Fortunately, you can significantly reduce mood swings and other symptoms of BPD with the proper treatment and coping strategies. 

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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By Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD

 Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University.

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