This mental disorder is primarily found in women

You often hear about confused individuals causing crazy or dangerous situations in the news. The fact that such a person appears in the news and is referred to as a ‘confused person’ makes it sound like this is very rare, but in reality, it happens quite often. One in a hundred people has a mental disorder, and when there is also an addiction to, for example, drugs, even one in two people has this diagnosis. The most common mental disorder is borderline. Despite the fact that you usually hear about ‘confused men’ doing crazy things in the news, borderline occurs much more frequently in women: as much as 75 percent of patients with borderline are women.

But what is borderline?
With borderline, it seems as if the person has two different personalities. Sometimes they are extremely positive, other times extremely down. Emotions are experienced much more intensely than in people without this disorder. For example, people with borderline are often extremely afraid of losing those who are important to them. Now you might think: oh my god, I have that too, but the way borderline patients deal with this is quite different from how you and I would likely handle it.

When someone has borderline, they react extremely emotionally to all sorts of different emotional situations. Sometimes they are even shocked by their own behavior. Other characteristics of borderline include keeping people at a distance and behaving distrustfully towards others. You dare not let anyone get too close, for fear that they will leave you again. Because these emotions are felt so strongly, it can even lead some people to self-harm.

In addition to borderline, the most common mental disorders are avoidant personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder.

Of course, it makes no sense to start diagnosing yourself. Psychologists have studied for years for this reason. So if you suspect that the characteristics strongly apply to you or someone in your environment, always consult a professional.

Sources: youz.nl & psyq.nl