The hallmark symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is emotional dysregulation. People with BPD often experience problems with interpersonal relationships, mood, impulse control, and thinking and are searching for ways to feel more grounded.
Many people with BPD turn to an eating disorder, such as bulimia or anorexia, to make them feel in control. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, at least 25 percent of people with BPD will also meet criteria for an eating disorder.
“Someone with BPD may wildly overeat or undereat,” says Jennifer Schneider, Ph.D., coordinator of the Eating Disorders Program at Clearview Treatment Programs in Los Angeles. “These behaviors somehow become gratifying because they give people a modicum of control or mastery of their environment.”
In some cases, it may look like someone has BPD when they are in the throes of an eating disorder. Listen to Dr. Schneider talk about how the characteristics of BPD overlap with those of an eating disorder.