Consequences of Untreated Borderline Personality Disorder

Around 0.7–2.7% of the general population suffers from borderline personality disorder [1], but cases of undiagnosed BPD are more prevalent. People might not understand that their challenging emotional regulation and impulsive behavior are a marker of this clinical disorder. It’s vital to take action as BPD untreated symptoms can have far-reaching effects on the entire life, lower its quality, and impair career and personal relationships. Let’s find out what happens if BPD is left untreated and what to do to prevent the condition from devouring your well-being.

Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

The concept of BPD has significantly transformed over time. A distinct set of its differential characteristics is outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [1].

Definition and Characteristics

Borderline personality disorder is a severe mental health condition affecting a person’s capacity for emotional regulation and how they perceive themselves. It may lead to loss of emotional control, mood instability, and impulsive behavior [2]. Symptoms usually show up in adolescence and include emotional instability, continuous feeling of emptiness, intense displays of temper, severe dissociative signs, inconstant self-image, etc. [1]. BPD patients may engage in reckless behaviors such as substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, or spending sprees.

The Role of Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis is crucial for developing a comprehensive treatment plan. It can help people with BPD understand their state and timely seek professional help. When the condition is approached at early stages, it can substantially diminish the effect of devastating symptoms on daily life. It also facilitates rapid therapeutic intervention and fosters productive collaboration between patients and mental health providers. Borderline individuals can learn actionable coping strategies to regulate their emotions and behaviors.

What Does Untreated BPD Look Like?

Untreated borderline personality disorder is defined by severe and persistent symptoms that lead to significant distress and impairment in everyday life. These signs can be mistaken for other psychiatric conditions and cause numerous complications. People with unmedicated BPD may experience pronounced mood swings, impulsivity, and episodes of rage or depression. Their unstable behaviors can worsen relationships with close ones and coworkers.

Emotional Instability and Mood Swings

Intense emotional responses and fluctuations in mood can happen without an obvious reason and last from several hours to days [3]. It hinders a person’s ability to maintain a balanced daily routine and long-term relationships. The continuous stress doesn’t go unnoticed for an individual’s health, causing a weakened immune system and increasing susceptibility to other diseases.

Unpredictable episodes of anger, apprehension, and depression can exacerbate further distress. Timely therapeutic interventions can help borderline patients improve their emotional regulation and overall well-being.

Impulsive Behavior and Recklessness

Borderline personality disorder untreated signs include extreme impulsivity that can manifest in different ways. People can engage in risky behaviors such as substance abuse, reckless driving, random sexual contacts, or compulsive spending. They either seek relief from intense emotional pain or long for excitement, but such reckless behaviors can have harmful outcomes.

Unregulated impulsivity can cause physical damage and legal or financial issues. Comprehensive therapeutic approaches may help borderline patients address these impulsive tendencies and develop healthier coping mechanisms for emotional regulation.

Relationship Challenges

Individuals with BPD often struggle to maintain stable relationships, face repeated breakups, or experience conflicts with relatives, beloved ones, friends, and coworkers. It can eventually lead to social isolation and loneliness.

To improve the existing relationships and build new ones, borderline patients should learn to regulate their fear of abandonment and acute emotional responses. Individual psychotherapy can help work out trust issues and attain skills to develop stable connections and promote mutual understanding.

Self-Image Issues

BPD patients suffer from identity disturbance, meaning they find it problematic to maintain a clear sense of self. They display a superficial, altruistic, and suffering self-image [4]. An appropriate diagnosis and treatment can change a distorted sense of self to a more positive self-perception.

Consequences of Unmedicated BPD

What happens if BPD goes untreated? It can tangibly impact the quality of life and result in poor overall functioning.

Increased Risk of Self-Harm and Suicide

Extreme emotional pain and distress often induce borderline patients to behave impulsively, like cutting or burning their skin [2]. Maladaptive coping mechanisms may briefly give a sense of control but provoke life-threatening situations coupled with physical harm, excessive scarring, and addiction. When the condition is left untreated, it increases the risk of suicide. It’s crucial to seek expert help and work out healthy coping strategies to manage the devastating symptoms of this mental illness.

Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders

Untreated BPD has increased odds of coexisting with other mental health conditions [5]. People with BPD may also experience:

• Anxiety and depression;
• Eating disorders like binge eating, anorexia, or bulimia;
• Substance abuse and addiction (drugs or alcohol);
• Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD;
• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, namely ADHD;
• Borderline intellectual functioning.

The longer a person leaves BPD untreated, the more likely the severity of co-occurring mental health disorders. A combination of therapy and medication can significantly diminish the likelihood of their development.

Substance Abuse Potential

Impulsivity and emotional instability increase the risk of substance abuse [6]. Some patients believe drugs can alleviate anxious or depressive symptoms and apply them for self-medication. This never helps, as uncontrolled use of drugs worsens symptoms and causes further complications: problems with relationships, finances, and overall health. Professional intervention is vital to regulate symptoms of substance use disorders and help people enhance their quality of life.

Long-Term Effects of Untreated BPD

Major BPD symptoms such as extreme impulsivity, self-harm tendencies, and suicidal ideation can largely impede daily life functioning, work, and relationships.

Quality of Life Decline

The quality of life of BPD patients varies based on whether they receive proper treatment and support or not. Untreated BPD can exaggerate the severity of symptoms and make it challenging to maintain employment, sustain meaningful relationships, and pursue life goals. The absence of quality treatment prevents borderline individuals from living a fulfilling life and effectively managing the disorder.

Occupational and Social Impairment

Individuals with untreated BPD may find it challenging to hold jobs and maintain stable social relations. Persistent mood swings and fear of abandonment can cause problems with trust and strain relationships with close ones. Awareness of personal boundaries and working on managing emotions with the help of a qualified psychotherapist can help people improve interpersonal skills and occupational functioning.

Impact on Physical Health

Borderline personality disorder can negatively affect physical health and lead to a bunch of illnesses, including [7]:

• arteriosclerosis;
• hypertension;
• hepatic disease;
• cardiovascular malfunction;
• gastrointestinal disease;
• arthritis;
• venereal disease;
• sleep disturbances.

Borderline patients can suffer from malnutrition, obesity, and chronic pain. Permanent stress accompanying BPD can debilitate the immune system, so people tend to have overall poor physical health and are more susceptible to illnesses.

Signs to Watch For

It’s time to understand what does untreated BPD look like to learn the distinct markers that may signify this disease.

Behavioral Indicators

This clinical disorder can manifest through:

• Impulsive actions;
• Risky behaviors such as reckless driving, gambling, unsafe sex, or sabotaging success;
• Pronounced threats of self-injury or suicide.

These symptoms can create profound problems in relationships or work. Seeing a mental health professional is highly recommended as early signs appear.

Emotional Signals

Distinct markers of emotional instability in BPD patients could include:

• Intense mood shifts lasting from minutes to days;
• Strong anger and apprehension;
• Stress-related paranoia;
• Loss of contact with reality.

Proactive treatment can help alleviate extreme mood swings and prevent potential hazardous consequences.

When to Seek Help

Address a well-versed healthcare expert as soon as you notice any of the aforementioned BPD symptoms. Early professional intervention can avert the worsening of correlated disorders and reduce self-harm tendencies. An understanding environment created by a credible psychotherapist and consistent medical supervision of a qualified psychiatrist can help combat the challenges posed by this clinical disorder.

A combination of psychotherapy and pharmacological treatment has proven effective at reducing the impact of BPD and improving overall quality of life. Professional assistance and support can help people with BPD lead more gratifying lives.

Conclusion

Untreated borderline personality disorder can cause considerable distress and impairment in day-to-day life. Intense mood swings and profound emotional instability may induce a borderline individual to deal with the aftermath of impulsive behaviors and severe health complications. Proper treatment and support can help such patients cope with their symptoms and lead more fulfilling lives.

FAQs

What are common misconceptions about untreated BPD?

The most hazardous myth about BPD is that this condition is untreatable. Dialectical behavioural therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, medications, and other means are proven effective against this disorder [8].

Can untreated BPD lead to other mental health issues?

Yes, untreated BPD can promote the development of other mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and substance use. It’s vital not to postpone the treatment issue so as not to complicate it.

References:

1. Jennifer Chapman et al. Borderline Personality Disorder. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430883/#:~:text=Epidemiology,Go%20to: Access date: July 31, 2025.
2. National Institute of Mental Health. Borderline Personality Disorder. Link: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/borderline-personality-disorder. Access date: July 31, 2025.
3. National Institute of Mental Health. Brochures and Fact Sheets. Borderline Personality Disorder. Link: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/borderline-personality-disorder. Access date: July 31, 2025.
4. Gerhard Dammann et al. The self-image in borderline personality disorder: an in-depth qualitative research study. August 25, 2011. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21838566/. Access date: July 31, 2025.
5. H. Hastrup et al. Borderline personality disorder and the diagnostic co-occurrence of mental health disorders and somatic diseases: A controlled prospective national register-based study. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2024 Feb; 149(2): 124–132. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38072006/. Access date: August 4, 2025.
6. Timothy J. Trull et al. Borderline personality disorder and substance use disorders: an updated review. Borderline Personality Disorder Emotional Dysregulation. September 19, 2018; 5:15. Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6145127/. Access date: August 4, 2025.
7. BPD Community. Borderline Personality Disorder. Informational Leaflet. Link: https://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/239347/sub074-mental-health.pdf. Access date: August 4, 2025.
8. ‘An Untreatable Illness?’. Link: Recovering from BPD is possible. https://psychetherapycentre.co.uk/borderline-personality-disorder-an-untreatable-illness-recovering-from-bpd-is-possible/#:~:text=Finally%2C%20one%20study%20followed%20up,’untreatable’%20is%20a%20myth. ccess date: August 14, 2025.