Did you know that 1.4% of people in the United States experience borderline personality disorder?
With an estimated 1% of the population suffering from this neurological brain disorder, it’s not uncommon for many people to go undiagnosed because they’re unaware of the symptoms of their disorder. Recent studies found that 75% of people that have borderline personality disorder are women. The same study also discovered that men are equally affected by BPD. However, it is commonly misdiagnosed as depression or PTSD.
Quiet BPD is sometimes a terminus to refer to people who meet the criteria for diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. However, people that have been diagnosed with quiet BPD symptoms don’t meet a typical profile of other people who have been diagnosed.
That’s why today, we’re here to break down what quiet BPD is and quiet BPD symptoms you should be aware of. Keep reading to learn more!
What Is Quiet Borderline Personality Disorder?
The National Institute of Mental Health states that borderline personality disorder is a type of illness that can be identified by a pattern of changing behaviors, moods, and perceptions of oneself. In most people who have an undiagnosed quiet borderline personality disorder, their impulsive actions lead to the development of difficulty forming and maintaining relationships.
Also, individuals that have borderline personality disorder can experience:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts and tendencies
- Anger
People who are suffering from BPD and experience these episodes of varying emotions for a few hours or several days. Many people who have BPD will have angry eruptions and noticeable patterns of self-destructiveness. However, people with quiet BPD will internalize these emotional episodes so that they aren’t noticeable to onlookers.
This is why a lot but people we’ll have a misdiagnosis, or their quiet BPD will go undiagnosed. Sometimes, people will refer to this type of BPD as high-functioning.
What Are The Common Signs of Quiet BPD?
If you are wondering if you may have quiet BPD, it’s helpful to understand the common characteristics and symptoms of this condition. It can be hard to identify quiet BPD because the symptoms that a person’s common experiences are all pointed inwardly and aren’t always obvious.
For example, a person that experiences typical BPD may have rage fits. However, a quiet BPD person can turn it the anchor that they’re feeling in words. Often, these people will engage in behaviors that are destructive to themselves.
While a person with a borderline personality disorder may cry or yell when they’re upset, someone with quiet BPD symptoms will become withdrawn and talk less.
Quiet BPD Symptoms
Someone suffering from a quiet borderline personality disorder may be experiencing:
- Self-harm that’s concealed from others, so they don’t have their friends and family worry about them
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Inwardly directed aggression and anger resulting in self-harm and having a rigid internal critic
- Blaming oneself when there’s a conflict
- Bad self-image
- Taking small actions personally
- Severe fear of rejection
- Having unhealthy boundaries
- Having difficulty reading other people’s emotions, such as assuming someone’s mad at you when they’re not
- Consistent feelings of Shame and guilt
- Distorted thoughts and anxiety, As well as denying you’re angry or upset
- Fear of being alone
- Feeling like you are burden others, as well as fear of rejection
- Mood swings that can last several hours or several days
- Pushing loved ones away
Also, people with quiet BPD may also self-sabotage so that they hold themselves back from reaching their goals. Sometimes, they feel difficulty talking about their feelings because they feel that they have the wrong emotions about a situation. For example, an individual may feel like it’s wrong for them to be upset with a friend or a family member. As a result, they will try to suppress their feelings of anger and upsetness.
Common Causes of Quiet BPD
The causes of developing quiet BPD are similar to what’s found in individuals who have typical BPD. Let’s take a closer look at some of the potential causes of this type of personality disorder:
- A history of another mental disorder, such as eating disorder, anxiety, or depression
- Experiencing abuse, abandonment, neglect, or trauma during childhood
- Exposure or personal history of unstable relationships
- A family history of personality disorders
There are traces of the causes that would develop one type of BPD over the other. However, a person’s temperament and personality influence how the mental disorder will manifest in inward symptoms and outward symptoms. For example, a child who often yelled at while they were growing up for talking too much may struggle more with inward bereavement versus outward.
Complications Caused by Quiet BPD Symptoms
There are secondary effects people who live with quiet BPD will experience because of their personality disorder. Not only are they struggling to manage their mental health disorder, but they may also experience difficulties in relationships. Some of the most common complications caused by quiet BPD symptoms include:
- Risky behaviors such as over usage of alcohol, overspending, substance abuse, or risky sex
- Struggling with perfectionism or the feeling that the individual needs to appear independent and highly successful
- difficulty expressing emotions or recognizing emotions, which causes an increase in feelings
- Struggling with suicidal thoughts
- Feeling scared to be alone but drive people away because of fear of being alone
- Confusion with identity, personal preferences, beliefs, and finding things that you like
- Experiencing other mental health disorders such as eating disorders, anxiety, social anxiety, and depression
- Lacking friendships or connections with other people
With all of these complications, it can seem overwhelming trying to manage your BPD. However, let’s take a look at available treatment options:
Treatment Options
Quiet BPD can be treated through dialectical behavior therapy, psychiatric medications, and psychodynamic therapy. Using DBT to treat quiet BPD can help a patient regulate their emotions, be mindful of their strategies, and redo self-destructive actions.
Understanding Quiet BPD
By getting a better understanding of what quiet BPD is and the most common quiet BPD symptoms that are presented and yourself or a loved one, you can take the steps necessary for a diagnosis. It’s important for you to realize that your feelings matter and that it’s important for you to share them with someone you trust or a licensed therapist. Are you Looking for professional treatment for your mental health? We’re here to help you. Click here to contact us today to learn more!
