At What Age Can BPD Be Diagnosed?

Unstable personal relationships, intense moods, and impulsive and risky behavior are core symptoms of the mental disorder BPD, or borderline personality disorder. According to Psych Central, BPD affects between 1.6 and 5.9 percent of the general population and may be more common than the more widely recognized disorder, schizophrenia.  BPD is typically diagnosed in early adulthood and thought to decrease in intensity with age, although symptoms may be present earlier in life. While there is no rule against diagnosing BPD before age 18, most medical professionals are hesitant to do so.

Borderline Personality Disorder Age of Onset

Obtaining a diagnosis for a mental disorder can help formulate proper treatment and expedite the recovery process. So why then are medical personnel hesitating to diagnose adolescents or children with BPD? The answer lies in the type of symptoms indicative of the disorder.

Many of the symptoms, like unstable self-image and impulsivity, are common in adolescents already. It can be hard to diagnose a mental disorder in children whose brains are still changing and developing. A study published in Psychiatric Times indicated that of the adolescents that met the criteria for BPD between ages 15 and 18, only 40 percent of them still met the criteria two years later.

Not very much research exists yet on adolescent BPD, also making treatment more difficult. Symptoms that may present as BPD symptoms can change and develop into a different type of mental health disorder as a child grows and matures. That being said, if someone under age 18 is believed to suffer from BPD and maintains the pattern of symptoms for at least a year, he or she may be diagnosed with the disorder.

Symptoms of BPD

Borderline personality disorder affects moods, emotions, and interpersonal relationships. In order for a diagnosis to be made, at least five of the following BPD symptoms must be observed as a reoccurring and stable pattern, according to the National Institute of Mental Health:

• Intense mood swings
• Feelings of emptiness
• Impulsivity and risky behavior
• Unstable self-image
• Self-injurious or suicidal behavior and/or actions
• Irrational anger
• Intense fear of abandonment and efforts to avoid it
• Unstable relationships alternating between idealization and devaluation
• Paranoid thoughts or dissociative symptoms

Symptoms of BPD can be intense and triggered by seemingly innocuous events. Since BPD is defined by a pattern of behavior that is enduring, it is commonly diagnosed in early adulthood. Impulsive behavior can lead to reckless and self-destructive actions, such as erratic driving, substance abuse, violence, risky sexual actions, and even self-harming behavior. If you suspect you are, or a loved one is, at risk for BPD, you should seek help immediately.

Treatment

Borderline personality disorder is treatable at any age. Even though it is generally not diagnosed before age 18, help is available. Cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy are two models commonly used to help treat those suffering from BPD.

Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a type of psychotherapy that seems to offer the most encouraging results in treating BPD. DBT works to help teach coping skills and encourages a change in thought processes that may help to alleviate more intense symptoms. Due to the difficulties BPD patients have with relationships, a positive bond with a therapist can go a long way toward learning how to manage symptoms of the disorder.

OPI works to treat the entire individual and not just the disorder diagnosed. A skilled professional is standing by to offer you a specialized consultation; call now.