New study highlights the hidden struggles of borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder is often misunderstood, creating stigma and inconsistent treatment. A new study sheds light on why recognising key borderline personality disorder traits, especially chronic emptiness, could improve diagnosis and therapy.

The study, published in L'Encéphale, compared how people with and without borderline personality disorder responded to extreme stress, in this case: the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. While both groups experienced heightened impulsivity and anxiety during the pandemic, only patients with a borderline personality disorder diagnosis showed persistent hopelessness, suicidal tendencies, and emotional emptiness. This suggests that the disorder is more than just an extreme stress response, it is a distinct and chronic condition.

Borderline personality disorder is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed, leading to misdiagnosis and ineffective treatment. This study challenges misconceptions about the disorder and highlights the need for better diagnosis and treatment. By recognising the stable and defining traits of the disorder, the author of the study hope to refine diagnostic tools and treatment strategies.

“Focusing research on understudied traits, such as emptiness, will help refine diagnostic methods and improve therapeutic approaches,” says Sylvia Martin, and researcher at the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics, and author of the study.

Do you want to know more? Read the article: Martin, S. (2025). Instability of the unstable, an observation of borderline personality disorder traits and impulsivity declaration during the pandemic. L'Encéphale. DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2024.10.007

By Fanny Klingvall