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Does Your Narcissist have Borderline Personality Disorder? 7 Traits that may cause Confusion in Diagnosis

Sherile Turner-Myles
3 min readJan 28, 2023

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) are both personality disorders that can cause significant distress and impairment in an individual’s life. However, these disorders can be easily confused with each other due to some common traits between them.

BPD is characterized by intense and unstable emotions, impulsive behaviour, and unstable relationships. People with BPD may struggle with feelings of emptiness, self-worthlessness, and fear of abandonment. They may also experience intense anger, impulsivity, and self-harm. BPD is more common in women than men, and it is estimated that about 1–2% of the general population has BPD.

On the other hand, NPD is characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. People with NPD may have a grandiose sense of self, overestimate their abilities, and have a sense of entitlement. They may also have a lack of empathy and may be exploitative and manipulative in their relationships. NPD is more common in men than women, and it is estimated that about 1% of the general population has NPD.

Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash

Here are 7 common traits of both BPD and NPD.

  1. Both BPD and NPD individuals…

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Sherile Turner-Myles
Sherile Turner-Myles

Written by Sherile Turner-Myles

I write about Covert Narcissism and other Personality Disorders, and how they impact relationships.

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