The person sitting next to you in class, that cousin you only talk to once a year, your Uber driver, or even your favorite actress could be living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)—and you might never know it. Millions of people do.
Although BPD is one of the most well-known psychological disorders, openly discussing mental health is still relatively new, and stigma persists. This lack of understanding often leads to misinformation and misconceptions about what it means to live with the disorder. Encouraging open conversations and normalizing mental health struggles is essential.
However, media representations—especially online and in TV shows—sometimes rely on stereotypes, which can reinforce preexisting misconceptions rather than providing accurate depictions.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
So, what exactly is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)? It is a personality disorder that affects how individuals perceive themselves, relate to others, and navigate their emotions. One of its hallmark traits is being constantly “on edge,” combined with instability in relationships, self-image, and mood, as well as impulsive behavior. BPD can only be diagnosed and treated by trained mental health professionals, and because it manifests differently in each person, achieving stability can take time.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a person must exhibit at least five of nine specific symptoms to be diagnosed with BPD. These include frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment, unstable and intense relationships that alternate between idealization and devaluation, a markedly unstable self-image or sense of self, impulsivity in potentially self-damaging areas such as spending, sex, substance use, reckless driving, or binge eating, recurrent suicidal or self-harming behaviors, affective instability due to marked mood reactivity, chronic feelings of emptiness, intense or inappropriate anger and difficulty controlling it, and transient stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms.
Some people assume that having BPD makes someone “difficult” or “impossible to be around.” In reality, learning about the disorder and developing coping strategies can allow individuals to live fulfilling lives, sometimes so well that the condition goes unnoticed.
Therapy is the most effective tool for managing symptoms. While BPD is a chronic condition without a cure, various strategies can reduce its impact and improve daily life. Most people focus on how challenging it might be to interact with someone with BPD, but few consider the immense effort it takes for those who have it to navigate their emotions while maintaining their lives.
What is it like to live with the condition?
BPD is often described as an unstoppable rollercoaster you desperately want to get off but cannot. People living with BPD are just that—people—with a difference that can make life harder, but it is manageable with support, understanding, and treatment. Educating others about the disorder helps reduce stigma and provides a more accurate understanding of what BPD truly is.
One of the most effective ways to foster understanding is through accurate media representation. Movies, TV shows, and books should strive to portray people with BPD in a fair and nuanced way, showing their experiences with empathy and depth rather than relying on stereotypes.
By seeing realistic depictions of the disorder, audiences can gain insight into the daily realities of those affected, helping to normalize mental health discussions, reduce stigma, and encourage compassion and support. Here are some examples of characters with BPD that you might not even realize.
Rebecca Bunch (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
This is considered one of the most thoughtful and accurate portrayals of someone with BPD, presenting a non-stereotypical personality while depicting symptoms such as emotional instability, fear of abandonment, and impulsivity.
The show also highlights her treatment and progress toward recovery, offering a realistic view of living with the disorder. She is portrayed in a deeply humanized and nuanced way, becoming a well-developed character that many viewers identify with and admire.
Susanna Kaysen (Girl, Interrupted)
The book is written as a diary, chronicling the experiences of Susanna Kaysen, a young woman living with Borderline Personality Disorder. Through her memories and reflections, the story offers an unflinching and realistic portrayal of life with BPD, showing her emotional instability, struggles with identity, impulsivity, and the challenges of navigating relationships and self-perception.
Susanna is presented as a complex, multidimensional character, allowing readers to understand the human side of the disorder without glamour or exaggeration. While the book was widely praised for its honesty and depth, the 1999 film adaptation Girl, Interrupted faced criticism for portraying women with BPD in a more sensationalized way, emphasizing instability and destructive behavior.
Despite these criticisms, the movie still introduced Susanna’s story to a broader audience, sparking conversations about mental health and the experiences of those living with BPD, even if it did not capture the full nuance of her character as depicted in the book.
Bárbara (Por que Você Não Chora?)
While cinema often dramatizes aspects of mental disorders, this film approaches its subject matter with care and nuance, portraying the complexities of the main character, Bárbara, in a realistic and thoughtful way. The movie highlights the different facets of her personality and mental health challenges, showing both her struggles and moments of resilience.
Unlike more sensationalized depictions, the film emphasizes the human side of living with a mental disorder, making the character relatable and empathetic. Because of this approach, Por que Você Não Chora? has been used as a reference in discussions and debates about mental health, demonstrating the potential of media to foster understanding and education.
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The article above was edited by Mariana do Patrocínio.
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