You might be thinking a mental health disorder like BPD is pretty rare given the complex conditions and signs it has, but that is simply not true. In fact, worldwide it is thought that 2%-3% of people with issues relating to their mental health might well be suffering from BPD! But how common is it here in the UK? Read on to find out…
So…How common is BPD in the UK?
So taking into account worldwide numbers there could be as many as 30-40 million people suffering from BPD based on national mental health outpatient clinics statistics. But here in the UK the percentage of people getting diagnosed with BPD is actually falling and this can often be put down to a better understanding of other mental health conditions. Things like Bipolar can often have the same signs as BPD, so the more therapists and psychologists understand the more they won’t misdiagnose BPD.
Having said that the number of those mental health outpatients who might well have BPD could be as high as 20% and that means there could be 300,000+ of us here in the UK alone! For even simpler numbers that means roughly 1 in 100 people here in the UK might well have BPD. That is a lot of people for sure, but if I am honest those stats don’t really answer the question.
BPD is only as common as the conditions that cause it! If you asked how many people who have had a childhood trauma go on to developer BPD symptoms I would say that number is much, much higher. Sadly this condition can also be hereditary meaning it could be passed down from generation to generation without any trauma at all. So in those families, the percentage of people with BPD will again be a lot higher.
I would love to think BPD is not common at all, but sadly it is and while not everyone will seek help, guidance or confirmation that they have BPD in the first place you can always guess on numbers based on the various reported signs of BPD.
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