Borderline personality disorder, or BPD, is just one of many mental health conditions that can interfere with work. In 2021, the Social Security Administration (SSA) awarded monthly disability benefits and healthcare to more than 1 million workers who have BPD or other related depressive and bipolar disorders.
To qualify for social security disability benefits with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, it must interfere with your ability to work, and that interference must be expected to last a year or more.
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Some people with BPD may meet the criteria for the NDIS, in particular those who have co-existing mental and physical health diagnoses. It is possible for people to recover from BPD however, and to go onto the NDIS, it is required you have a permanent disability.
With treatment, medication, and counselling, most individuals suffering from BPD can build a life worth living but the dynamics of the illness make emotion dysregulation a reoccurring obstacle that can sometimes cause major setbacks (legal issues, loss of sobriety, physical injury, etc.)
Many people who live with BPD have meaningful and successful careers in a wide range of industries. When it comes to borderline personality disorder and work, everyone's experience is different. For some people, their BPD symptoms can lead to challenges in the workplace.
There is no definitive test to diagnose borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is diagnosed through a clinical interview with a licensed mental health professional, explains Simon A.
Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPDs) become overwhelmed and incapacitated by the intensity of their emotions, whether it is joy and elation or depression, anxiety, and rage. They are unable to manage these intense emotions.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental disorder affecting around 1% of the population. It is associated with significant psychiatric comorbidity,2 impairment in social function3 and a high rate of service utilisation. Personality disorder as a whole is associated with reduced life expectancy.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious, long-lasting and complex mental health problem. People with BPD have difficulty regulating or handling their emotions or controlling their impulses.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be lifelong, but it doesn't have to be in most cases. As a personality disorder, BPD is a set of symptoms and experiences that is woven into the fabric of what it feels like to be you. Meaning, it's hard to imagine another way of being.
By adding the number of borderline patients who were on disability at baseline (N= 118) to the number of borderline patients who experienced a new onset of receiving disability payments (N = 57), we found that 60.3% (118 + 57=175/290) of borderlines were ever on disability over the 10-year period.
Generally, SSDI payments can range from an average of $800 and $1800 per month, although those amounts can be more or less depending upon your particular circumstances.
The average disability check for anxiety or other mental disorders is $1,232.97. If you qualify for benefits with anxiety, the maximum disability payment for SSDI is $3,627 per month and the most you can get from SSI is $914 per month in 2023. These amounts are set by law and are the same for every condition.
Not only is BPD one of the most painful mental illnesses, but it's also intensified by stigma and being misunderstood by others. Fortunately, borderline personality disorder is a treatable condition, and the pain doesn't have to be endless.
Separations, disagreements, and rejections—real or perceived—are the most common triggers for symptoms. A person with BPD is highly sensitive to abandonment and being alone, which brings about intense feelings of anger, fear, suicidal thoughts and self-harm, and very impulsive decisions.
Recognizing a BPD Episode
Intense outbursts of anger are indicative of an episode of BPD as are bouts of depression and anxiety. Eighty percent of those suffering from BPD experience suicidal thoughts and behavior while in the throes of an episode as well.
Signs and symptoms may include: An intense fear of abandonment, even going to extreme measures to avoid real or imagined separation or rejection. A pattern of unstable intense relationships, such as idealizing someone one moment and then suddenly believing the person doesn't care enough or is cruel.
Approach them very gently when they are in a stable mood. Don't specifically mention BPD if you can help it—just tell them their behavior is worrisome to you because you love them and want them to be happy. Offer your support every step of the way.
People with Borderline Personality Disorder have a reduced life expectancy of some 20 years, attributable largely to physical health maladies, notably cardiovascular. Risk factors include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and smoking.
Borderline intellectual functioning, previously called borderline mental retardation (in the ICD-8), is a categorization of intelligence wherein a person has below average cognitive ability (generally an IQ of 70–85), but the deficit is not as severe as intellectual disability (below 70).