Impulse in BPD

TRIGGER WARNING: sex, drugs, self- harm

One of the criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is being impulsive. Not everyone has this quality, but I am one of the ones who do and it is quite common. To be diagnosed with BPD, you only have to meet 5 of the 9 criteria. Everyone is different. I wanted to discuss the different common impulses in BPD because they do not get talked about enough. I tend to be very impulsive; however, my impulses have changed over the years. Here are eight common impulses that happen in BPD.

1. Financial

   Spending too much money is a common impulse in BPD. I used to be very good at saving money, but now I struggle with this a lot. This could be things like shopping sprees or gambling. I have been struggling with this one a lot lately. Something that can help some people can be to layout a budget and write it down. Sticking to it can be hard, but it also helps with discipline.

2. Substance Abuse

   This is common for people with BPD. I personally never struggled too much with this, but I think that has a lot to do with me not liking the taste of alcohol. I have seen it happen a lot in other people and it can be really scary to watch. I did almost fall into some abuse with medications, but I was able to stop. Not everyone is able to quit before it gets bad. This is difficult because it also leads to impulsively spending money for the substance. The best thing here is to support your loved ones and remind them they are not alone. Most people will not stop until they decide to unfortunately.

3. Reckless Driving

   This can be really serious and scary for anyone on the road. I have gone through this several times and it has been my biggest impulse when I am angry. I have improved with this over time and now drive more cautiously when I am upset, but everyone grows at their own pace. On the road you have to remember that it is not just about your life anymore if something happens.

4. Unprotected Sex

   This was probably my biggest impulse when I was younger. It can cause a lot of regret (as can the rest of these). This can be another one that can effect someone else's life seriously. I do not want to go to in depth on this topic because I know it can be triggering, but it was an important one I wanted to add. It is very common among people with BPD to participate in unsafe sex. Make sure you really get to know someone before getting in bed with them.

5. Binge Eating

   Overeating can be a common impulsive behavior. I do not personally have this problem as much as the others, but it can happen in BPD. This can be hard to quit when you constantly feel the need to eat, but you could try to set a diet and work from there.

6. Self - harm

   I have experienced this and it is one of the common impulsive behaviors in people with BPD. This could be cutting or burning. I know people who have done both. This can be a feeling of suffering that we feel we deserve, but we don't deserve it. I have not self- harmed in months and I hope this helps someone else quit. I have a post about self- harm alone and I will link it at the bottom of this post.

7. Relationships

   Jumping into and out of relationships and from person to person is a really common impulsive behavior in BPD. I experienced this a lot when I was younger too. I was always in a relationship and it never lasted long because I jumped to the next person I met. If you feel like the relationship you are in is boring, then it is probably pretty stable. I didn't realize that until later in life. Not every relationship is boring, but I always felt the need for excitement, so I jumped around a lot. It can still be stable and exciting.

8. Aggression

   This can be breaking things, yelling, or getting in fights. I have never been in a fight, but I have broken things and yelled at people that did not deserve it. This tends to happen out of impulse and most people with BPD probably did not mean what they said or regret breaking whatever it is they broke. Learning how to manage anger would probably be the best advice I have here. There are breathing techniques you can look up that are supposed to help with this kind of impulse.

Overall, being impulsive in BPD can be dangerous or even deadly in some cases. Please be careful with what you say and do around someone who has BPD. Also, please think before acting if you are a person with BPD. I say this as someone who goes through it myself. I know it is not easy to mange emotions, but we have to learn how. This is just one of the 9 criteria required for a diagnosis of BPD. You could be impulsive and it be something else. This is something that has effected my life a lot, so I wanted to share my experience. I mentioned I would link the self- harm post below, but I am also going to link the diagnostic criteria post I made a while back. I know being impulsive can be really difficult, but there are ways to think before we act. Thank you for reading and I hope this helped someone.

self- harm post: https://www.fiftyshadesofjade.com/post/self-injury

diagnostic criteria: https://www.fiftyshadesofjade.com/post/what-is-bpd