For people living with borderline personality disorder, and the families who help them
Every treatment sourced. Every claim linked.
Compare treatments for borderline personality disorder with the source behind each one, find studies looking for volunteers, and see what people reported online about therapies and medicines in 348,651 public Reddit posts and comments.
Treatment catalog
11 treatments and supports, compared
Structured talk therapies, skills groups, family support, and what is known about medicines, with what each one involves and what the evidence and guidelines say. Every card links to its source.
Clinical trials
40 studies looking for volunteers
Studies listed under borderline personality disorder as recruiting worldwide on ClinicalTrials.gov as of October 8, 2026. All 8 with a site in the United States and an up-to-date record are described here, with a search for studies near you.
What people report
What people said helped
How often people on Reddit said a therapy or medicine helped them, for 5 therapies and 9 medicines, from 348,651 public posts and comments. Self-reported experiences, not a clinical study.
Before an appointment? Write notes for a clinician · Already in treatment? Medicines and BPD · Print a weekly diary card
There is reason for hope
Treatable, and more common than many think
Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness that affects how a person feels about themselves and others and makes it hard to function in everyday life. It often involves difficulty regulating emotions, which can lead to impulsive actions, an unstable or often changing sense of self, and troubled relationships. Effective treatments are available.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health · Borderline personality disorder (brochure)
Borderline personality disorder typically begins in adolescence or early adulthood and can last for many years. But despite earlier views, it can remit, and its symptoms can be reduced and managed. Effective treatments are available, and several structured psychotherapies have been found to work.
American Psychiatric Association · Updated borderline personality disorder practice guideline (news release, Dec 10, 2024)National Institute of Mental Health · Borderline personality disorder (brochure)
In a national survey of U.S. adults, about 1.4% had borderline personality disorder in the past year. Of them, 84.5% also had at least one other mental disorder, and 42.4% had received mental health treatment in the past 12 months.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health · Personality disorders statistics
Know the signs
Intense, fast-changing moods, fear of abandonment, unstable relationships and sense of self, impulsive actions, and self-harm.
Get a full assessment
A licensed mental health professional makes the diagnosis after a careful interview. A primary care provider can refer you.
Therapy comes first
Structured talk therapies are the main treatment. No medicine is approved for the disorder itself.
Support someone
Ways to offer patience and validation, take safety seriously, join a family program, and look after yourself too.
Signs and symptoms
What it can look like
Not everyone has every symptom, and their severity, frequency, and length vary from person to person. Only a licensed professional can make a diagnosis.
Emotions
- Intense and highly changeable moods, with episodes lasting from a few hours to a few days
- Inappropriate, intense anger or trouble controlling anger
Relationships
- Efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, such as jumping into or out of relationships quickly
- A pattern of intense and unstable relationships with family, friends, and loved ones
Sense of self
- A distorted and unstable self-image or sense of self
- Interests, values, and feelings that can change quickly
Behavior and safety
- Impulsive or reckless behavior, such as spending sprees, unsafe sex, substance use, dangerous driving, or binge eating
- Self-harming behavior, such as cutting
Getting help
Talk therapy is the main treatment
Several structured psychotherapies work for borderline personality disorder, and none has emerged as the single best. The right fit depends on your symptoms, preferences, and what is available near you. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any medicine for borderline personality disorder; medicines are sometimes added for specific symptoms or other conditions.
American Psychiatric Association · Updated borderline personality disorder practice guideline (news release, Dec 10, 2024)Cochrane review (2020) · Psychological therapies for people with borderline personality disorder (PubMed record)Cochrane review (2022) · Pharmacological interventions for people with borderline personality disorder (PubMed record)
Step 1
Start with a provider
A primary care provider can listen and refer you to a psychologist, psychiatrist, or clinical social worker.
National Institute of Mental Health · Borderline personality disorder (brochure)
Step 2
Get a written plan
Ask for a treatment plan and a crisis plan that names triggers, what helps, and who to contact.
Step 3
Stick with it
Change takes time. Being patient, getting support, and staying in treatment all matter.
National Institute of Mental Health · Borderline personality disorder (brochure)
For families
You can help, and you do not have to do it alone
Learn about the disorder, offer patience and validation, take any talk of self-harm or suicide seriously, and get support for yourself from a different therapist or a free family program.
If you or someone you love is in crisis
Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, 24/7. You do not have to be suicidal to reach out, and you can contact 988 for someone you are worried about. In a life-threatening situation, call 911.