Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental health condition characterized by extreme emotional instability and instability in relationships, self-image, identity, and impulsive or dangerous behaviors. People with BPD often experience intense and rapidly changing mood episodes that can last from a few hours to a few days. These mood swings are typically in response to interpersonal interactions or perceived abandonment. Individuals with BPD can go from feeling completely fine one moment to suddenly feeling intense anger, sadness, or emptiness. This emotional volatility makes it very difficult for people with BPD to maintain stability in their lives. However, many people with BPD report being able to sense when an emotional episode is about to occur. Being able to recognize the signs of an oncoming BPD mood swing can help people prepare themselves emotionally. It allows them to initiate self-soothing practices and reach out for support if needed. In this article, we will explore the common signs that indicate a BPD mood episode is imminent.
Physical Symptoms
One of the most common early warning signs of an impending BPD episode is the emergence of physical symptoms. These bodily sensations tend to manifest due to the building emotional turmoil. Here are some of the most frequently reported physical indicators:
– Headache or migraine – Individuals with BPD often develop headaches or migraines as their emotions escalate.
– Stomach pain or digestive issues – Anxiety and extreme emotions can manifest as stomach pain, nausea, or diarrhea.
– Fatigue or muscle aches – Feeling suddenly drained or exhausted can signal that a mood crash is imminent.
– Elevated heart rate – A racing or pounding heart is a clear sign of rising anxiety and stress.
– Insomnia or restlessness – Difficulty falling or staying asleep often precedes an emotional spiral.
Table 1: Common Physical Symptoms of Impending BPD Episodes
| Physical Symptom | Description |
|---|---|
| Headache or migraine | Severe head pain as emotions escalate |
| Stomach pain | Nausea, cramps due to anxiety |
| Fatigue | Feeling drained or exhausted |
| Racing heart | Elevated heart rate from stress |
| Insomnia | Difficulty falling or staying asleep |
Being aware of these bodily signs and physical discomforts can serve as an early alarm that mood destabilization is developing. Paying attention to headaches, stomach issues, sleep changes, and unexplained aches and pains provides an opportunity to intervene before emotions spiral out of control.
Psychological and Emotional Shifts
In addition to physical symptoms, there are very clear psychological and emotional changes that indicate a BPD mood swing is brewing. Here are some of the most common shifts in thinking and feeling:
– Heightened anxiety or irritation – Feeling suddenly anxious or on edge for no reason can precede a plunge into extreme emotion. Small annoyances and frustrations may provoke excessive reactivity.
– Sense of impending doom – People with BPD often report having a looming sense that something catastrophic is about to happen or that something is very “wrong.”
– Difficulty concentrating – Problems focusing and concentrating at work or school can be an early sign of mounting internal turmoil.
– Obsessive thoughts – Intrusive negative thoughts that intensify focus on fears of abandonment, flaws, or perceived rejection.
– Anger and irritability – Feeling aggressive, quick to anger, or extremely irritable with friends or loved ones.
– Hypersensitivity – An increased sensitivity to perceived slights or criticism from others. Feeling victimized or offended easily.
– Existential depression – Profound feelings of apathy, hopelessness, emptiness, or lack of purpose.
– Paranoia – Irrational mistrust about others’ motives or heightened fear about the intentions of loved ones.
Table 2: Psychological and Emotional Shifts
| Psychological/Emotional Change | Description |
|---|---|
| Heightened anxiety | Feeling suddenly anxious or on edge |
| Sense of doom | Feeling something catastrophic will happen |
| Difficulty concentrating | Trouble focusing at work or school |
| Obsessive thoughts | Intensified negative thoughts and fears |
| Anger/irritability | Feeling aggressive or easily provoked |
| Hypersensitivity | Easily offended, feeling victimized |
| Existential depression | Hopelessness, apathy, lack of purpose |
| Paranoia | Irrational mistrust, fear of others’ motives |
Recognizing these psychological and emotional red flags allows people with BPD to realize when their mental state is starting to deteriorate. They can then take steps to self-soothe, avoid interpersonal situations, and ask loved ones for extra support until the episode passes.
Relationship Troubles
For many individuals with BPD, the earliest indicators of an impending emotional crisis are relationship difficulties and interpersonal conflicts. BPD mood crashes are often triggered by real or perceived abandonment and rejection from loved ones or friends. Some key relationship changes include:
– Picking fights – Bickering with a partner over small issues or intentionally provoking arguments.
– Dependency/clinginess – Suddenly needing constant contact and reassurance from loved ones.
– Isolation/avoidance – Withdrawing from close friends and family members.
– Distrust – Questioning the loyalty of loved ones or accusing them of failing to provide support.
– Hypersensitivity – Perceiving neutral comments from others as criticism and becoming defensive.
– Jealousy – An intensified fear that friends or a romantic partner will leave or betray.
– Destabilization – Sudden shifts in how the person perceives and interacts with others.
Table 3: Relationship Changes
| Relationship Change | Description |
|---|---|
| Picking fights | Arguing over trivial matters, provoking conflict |
| Dependency/clinginess | Needing constant contact, reassurance |
| Isolation/avoidance | Withdrawing from loved ones |
| Distrust | Questioning loyalty of loved ones |
| Hypersensitivity | Perceiving neutral comments as criticism |
| Jealousy | Intensified fear of abandonment |
| Destabilization | Sudden shifts in perceptions of others |
Interpersonal problems are so closely tied to BPD mood swings that any sudden changes in relationship patterns or dynamics can be an early clue that emotional turbulence is developing internally. This presents another opportunity to engage coping strategies and get external support.
Behavioral Changes
In many cases, the shift in a person’s behaviors and activities signifies the calm before the emotional storm. Here are some common behavioral warning signs:
– Withdrawing – Calling out sick from work, skipping classes, avoiding social situations.
– Self-harm – Engaging in cutting, burning, self-hitting.
– Substance abuse – Suddenly drinking excessively, using drugs.
– Binge behaviors – Overeating, excessive shopping, promiscuity.
– Aggression – Picking fights, raging, throwing things when angry.
– Recklessness – Engaging in risky behaviors like drug use, speeding, unsafe promiscuity.
– Hyperactivity – excess energy, inability to slow down, racing thoughts.
Table 4: Behavioral Changes
| Behavioral Change | Description |
|---|---|
| Withdrawing | Avoiding work, school, social situations |
| Self-harm | Cutting, burning, self-hitting |
| Substance abuse | Excessive drinking, drug use |
| Binge behaviors | Overeating, shopping, promiscuity |
| Aggression | Picking fights, throwing things |
| Recklessness | Risky behaviors and substances |
| Hyperactivity | Excess energy, inability to slow down |
When people suddenly become withdrawn, aggressive, reckless, or demonstrate other behavioral aberrations, it often forewarns the onset of significant emotional and psychological disturbance. These changes in activity provide cues to utilize coping strategies and seek external stabilization.
How to Respond to Warning Signs
Recognizing the early red flags – physical, emotional, relational, and behavioral – provides a valuable opportunity to preemptively intervene when you sense a BPD mood crash developing. Here are some tips for constructive ways to respond:
– Avoid triggers – Temporarily withdraw from situations or people likely to worsen your state. Postpone conflicts.
– Self-soothe – Listen to calming music, meditate, take a warm bath. Use your senses to calm your nervous system.
– Increase structure – Follow routines, eat regular healthy meals, go to bed on time. Maintain lifestyle stability.
– Communicate needs – Let loved ones know you are feeling vulnerable and need extra support.
– Access support – Call a friend, contact your therapist, post in a support group, call a helpline.
– Divert focus – Engage in a healthy distraction that comforts you like reading or watching a funny show.
– Comfort yourself – Wrap up in a cozy blanket, cuddle your pet, have some tea, wear comfortable clothes.
– Self-check – Verbalize reassuring and compassionate statements to yourself.
– Reduce stimulation – Decrease sensory input from lights, noises, screens. Spend time in nature.
The goal is to engage in healthy self-soothing behaviors that provide comfort, safety, and stabilization when you recognize storm clouds gathering. Open communication with loved ones also allows them to provide support.
Professional Treatment Options
While self-care skills are extremely useful, professional treatment is highly recommended for managing BPD mood episodes. Many therapeutic approaches help stabilize emotions and reduce suffering:
– **Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)** – This is considered the gold standard treatment for BPD. It teaches distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal skills, and mindfulness.
– **Mentalization-based therapy** – Focuses on enhancing self-insight and understanding one’s own mental states and those of others. Aims to improve emotional regulation.
– **Transference-focused psychotherapy** – Uses the relationship between the patient and therapist to develop awareness of maladaptive interpersonal patterns and better manage emotions.
– **Schema-focused therapy** – Identifies and changes long-standing emotional/cognitive schemas that lead to BPD symptoms.
– **Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS)** – Helps understand BPD and improve skills like emotion management, communication, and coping.
– **Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)** – Develops abilities to reframe automatic negative thoughts and change dysfunctional beliefs.
– **Medications** – Certain medications can help stabilize mood swings, impulsivity, or specific symptoms like anxiety or depression.
Professional support provides long-term skills for preventing emotional crises and overcoming the challenges of BPD. A combination of therapy modalities tailored to the individual often helps manage symptoms most effectively.
Conclusion
In summary, people with BPD often recognize telltale warning signs that signal an emotional episode is imminent. Paying attention to changes in physical sensations, mood, relationships, behaviors, and thoughts can serve as an early alarm system. This provides a valuable window of opportunity to engage self-care practices, communicate needs to loved ones, and access professional support if available. While BPD mood swings can feel sudden and unpredictable, tuning into the subtle cues your body and mind provide allows greater stability and control over this difficult disorder. With compassionate self-understanding, proactive coping strategies, and proper treatment, people with BPD can better navigate their emotional landscape and limit the duration of episodic crises.