BPD and ADHD Explained: Unraveling the Connection

Complex Borderline Personality Disorder: How Coexisting Conditions Affect Your BPD and How You Can Gain Emotional Balance. Available at:

In this this video we examine the overlap between BPD and ADHD. This is a complicated combination that poses many challenges to not only the individuals who have these diagnoses but to the mental health practitioners who treat them.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, while Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by erratic and dramatic responses to stimuli. Key distinctions include features specific to BPD, such as fear of abandonment, feelings of emptiness, worthlessness, and other core characteristics that differentiate it from ADHD.

Impulsivity is where the greatest overlap exists, it is consistently identified in both through the research. It is the root of all this confusion, although it is the same in name, it is different in surface and core content.

Daniel J. Fox, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in Texas, international speaker, and award winning author. He has been specializing in the treatment and assessment of individuals with personality disorders for over 15 years in the state and federal prison system, universities, and in private practice. His specialty areas include personality disorders, ethics, burnout prevention, and emotional intelligence.

He has published several articles in these areas and is the author of:

Thank you for your attention and I hope you enjoy my videos and find them helpful and subscribe. I always welcome topic suggestions and comments.

We know that BPD and adult ADHD have distinct and specific underlying patterns of personality traits and personality pathology. Knowing this can help you identify the aspects of your personality that lead to maladaptive and adaptive tendencies and this is where knowledge feeds empowerment for you to gain control.

Citations:

Koerting, J., Pukrop, R., Klein, P., Ritter, K., Knowles, M., Banzhaf, A., ... & Roepke, S. (2016). Comparing dimensional models assessing personality traits and personality pathology among adult ADHD and borderline personality disorder. Journal of attention disorders, 20(8), 715-724.

O’malley, G. K., McHugh, L., Mac Giollabhui, N., & Bramham, J. (2016). Characterizing adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity-disorder and comorbid borderline personality disorder: ADHD symptoms, psychopathology, cognitive functioning and psychosocial factors. European Psychiatry, 31, 29-36.

[MissAlii]

Great vid! Adhd tip: watch at 1.5 speed. Helps digest video better. Watched twice on regular speed but soothing voices always cause me to drift off

Edit: I’m happy this could help so many. Thank you all.

[georgewolfe]

Just wanted to point out as someone with predominantly inattentive ADHD, that almost nothing you described about ADHD applies to our subtype. We are decidedly not 'go go go' and we tend not to have all these problems you describe that make us difficult for others which is why we often go undiagnosed. This made me realize that that's similar to the discouraged and self-destructive borderline types which often go undiagnosed because they cause fewer obvious problems for others.

[consciouslylisa]

I have both. The inattentiveness is 100% adhd. The mood swings, distrust of people/insecurity in my close friendships is BPD. Feeling worthless is BPD. Believing that anyone you care deeply about will leave is BPD. ADHD with RSD sound a whole lot like BPD though. I don’t have any of the episodes of rage/violence typically associated with BPD, though. I guess I’m on the low end of the spectrum, but the emotional dysregulation I experience only when triggered and I know most of them enough now to pull out my DBT tricks. No one who knows me now would ever know. MY adhd stuff I can’t hid though. My brain is a mess 😩

[delltronzero]

I was surprised you focused on the impulsivity and motor-driving overlap instead of the overlap between RSD (rejection sensitivity dysphoria) in those with ADHD and extreme sensitivity to rejection and abandonment in those with BPD. But after watching the video, I really appreciated your choice of focus, too. The former confusion of symptoms has me really puzzling over why I am so sensitive to being rejected and whether this is due to ADHD or BPD.

[eatymceatison]

I was misdiagnosed as having BPD when in fact it was just ADHD with severe inattentiveness, a high intelligence with a lack of motivation due to understimulation and autism. I displayed some signs commonly associated with bpd, but their origin was very different and I never had a fear of anyone leaving me. I value others' right to personal space, yet can say I've met a lot of supposedly normal people (mainly men) who did not. I've had a lot of people who thought I liked them because I'm quite nice and caring toward most people, because that's part of the non-western culture I grew up in but also because my autism rendered me incapable of knowing what would be an appropriate level of kindness to show to others. I'd end up no longer seeing those people because I just did not like them back, nor did I want to see them as often as they would want to see me. They labeled me as having "unstable relationships", when I didn't consider those to have been relationships/friendships. I developed "mild" bulimia with only subjective binges after a prolonged period of being anorexic, which isn't all that uncommon. They said bulimia was a clear sign I had BPD. I'm extremely concise in how I analyse myself and things outside of me, meaning I don't just swallow any theory about me or anything else people try to sell me. I'll look for good reasons as to why I should believe A vs B. I'll criticize people for saying something that's not true or something that people simply can't know, especially mental health professionals, becauce if they want to give the impression they're experts on something, they should be accurate. They called that defiant, when all I wanted was to uncover the truth about why I was struggling so I could receive the right treatment. In hindsight, I had extremely obvious signs of adhd and autism. They told me I simply didn't want to achieve anything in life. What I'm trying to say by all of this: encountering an actually competent mental health professional isn't all that easy, and just because people thought you had BPD, does not mean you have it.

Anyway, doctor. I know the area of personality disorders is your area of expertise, but could you post videos on autism (maybe as a differential diagnosis) or a more elaborate one on ADHD? I'm very curious to find out what you'd have to say about those conditions.

[Enjoytheshow]

My BPD prevents me from social intrusiveness, although I have severe ADHD. It’s the fear of rejection and The chronic feeling of being a bother or being invisible, but once I speak, I speak very excessively and so fast! Please make a video about how a comorbid condition can change how other one symptoms and how it manifests itself. I’ve self-diagnosed myself lately with BPD because I’ve never been in a physical fight and rarely screamed at people, so I thought I didn’t fit the diagnosis until I learned about the quiet type. And symptoms are like describing every moment of my life and every cell of my personality. I just thought that was me! I didn’t realize that it was a personality pattern. Such a revelation, but now after noticing that emotional distortion, I cannot trust my feelings anymore and I can’t tell when it’s really a negative situation and if somebody is trying to hurt my feeling on purpose. When I’m splitting and when it’s true that somebody has changed? How could we tell? I’m confused. We can’t be always reading through things and overreacting, right? I think it’s reasonable to think that sometimes our fear has a merit of truth? Mean people exist and humans change. Sometimes it’s good to take a hint to judge and filter people in your circle. It can’t be always hypersensitivity?
Thank you for all the videos.

[AnnaYV]

I think it would also be helpful for this video, to also note that there is also ‘Inattentive’ type of ADHD. Because, as someone with BPD and also someone who is looking at being assessed for ADHD, I feel I’m more inattentive than hyperactive. I think to look at where the overlap is between inattentive adhd and BPD and what inattentive adhd core content would look like. Thanks for the video ☺️

[LoveHumanity]

I have ADHD, almost certainly have BPD, moderate traits of ASPD and substance dependence issues. It’s not a battle, it’s a war! 😅

[mamascubs]

This is wonderful information. I was dx BPD over 40 years ago, All of our children and my husband are ADHD or ADD, one with Asperger, our Granddaughter ADD, Grandson Autistic. The descriptions given here are so accurate. In fact in one class I got told to leave because I was clicking my BIC CLICK PEN! I changed teachers because I couldn't deal with the embarrassment, I didn't even realize I was doing it. Worry is my middle name has been since a small child. I want to scream this information from the hilltops, people are so uncomfortable and uninformed about these real conditions so you just get Didn't ask for these.... Like others don't ask for their life altering conditions. Thank you Dr. Fox for putting this out there. Truly compassionate human being you are.

[SarahJEveryday]

I have never heard a better description of what my BPD programming feels like. Although it may seem silly, the coffee pot analogy was perfect. This was so comforting to hear because I didnt realize other people felt like that, too. I look forward to the video about slowing down. Thank you for your videos, Dr. Fox!

[martesdance]

Thank you. I have ADHD and was diagnosed with BPD, but it was hard to know if the symptoms were from ADHD or if I have BPD as well.

[ssgrr]

Hi Dr. Daniel - thank you so much for this video! I've gone for so long thinking there was something "wrong" with me in the sense that I could relate to the feeling of restlessness described in ADHD - but never really fit the criterias.
I sought help one year ago and was recently diagnosed with BPD - and suddently everything made sense.
When I'm not triggered I can focus and relax - however, when I'm in emotional turmoil I'm an impulsive restless mess.

This was so helpfull to watch - especially also since my partner is diagnosed with ADHD. It helped me put in to words the different sense of restlessness that I so often feel that we have.
He's always like "yes I know the feel" and YES, I know that he knows - but on another level.
I'm definately gonna watch this together with him as well - so that he might have a better understanding of the difference.

I'm sorry if I repeat myself in this comment, but sometimes when I write - especially when its not in my first language - I get lost.

Thank you so much - your videos help me a lot between my sessions with my therapist.
I'm starting DBT tomorrow - I'm so scared, but I feel motivated to learn new strategies to ease my BPD.


Lots of love from Norway!

[mariaseyz]

Dr. Fox. Thank you for giving me the insight I need to learn as much as I can on BPD/ADHD.
I struggle and suffer everyday with my symptoms. Unfortunately I have been unsuccessful in finding a psychiatrist that has a true understanding of how Complex childhood trauma, BPD, ADHD, PTSD, and social anxiety can cause so much suffering. I don't know where to go with this, I just wish there were more dr's whom understand the difficulty of these very intense conditions.
Your videos help out ALOT.
Thank you!

[glee_again]

My daughter (19) has BPD and more ADD than ADHD (hyperactive element not prevalent)… stimulant calms her anxiety and helps her mood/depression from.BPD. Helps her focus & do better interpersonally with others.
It’s like a flipped switch.
Only starting to treat the ADD but WOW!!
She’s starting to use DBT skills as well. Praying it gives her relief.

[xomegsxo]

Thank you for this video! I didn’t realize how common comorbidity is. I have both BPD and ADHD and this video was really informative & validating ❤️

[ibCheechy]

Raise your hand if you had to go back in the video multiple times because you kept losing focus. 🙋‍♀️

[franklynnn]

a year late, but thank you SO much for this video. i was diagnosed with ADHD last year, and recently i’ve begun to suspect i may have BPD- most if not all of the symptoms add up for me, but it’s so hard to figure out what’s ADHD and what could be BPD. what you said about anxiousness and fearfulness made so much sense to me.

[clouddancer]

This is great! I have many Adhd, Bipolar, BPD, and OCD! This is so helpful they all overlap. Another counselor said D.I.D. but still doubt that. What I love about this.. Is how complex the mind is, these labels really help with all the "controls in the cockpit". The more insight I have, the higher functioning I become.. Thank you for this video.. Would love to hear about transitions in both disorders. I still struggle with that
Thank you!

[Jewels_]

My anxiousness drives my impulsivity !! Wow! Eye opening. Thank God for you Dr. Fox, you javelin a gift for explaining these things.
So my take away is; if I can get my anxieties under control then I will be less impulsive.

[CandySphynx]

I wish you could be my doctor. Your videos always help, you’re really great. I’ve been diagnosed with both and as for impulsivity, I now see at 33 that I’m more the adhd impulsive type, when I used to have both a few years ago. But therapy and self work really helped with bpd impulsivity. 💪🏻 what I love about your videos, contrarily to some other people one YT, is that you always give a sense of control and hope for people with bpd instead of shaming us for being The Worst Thing that ever happened to our friends and families, even if we work super hard to better ourselves. So yeah, thank you for your kindness and empathy too 🖤