Borderline Personality Disorder Test

Who should take this BPD quiz?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a cluster B personality disorder that can severely impact your mood, behavior, and how you think about yourself and others. If you have BPD, everything in life can feel unstable and your anger, impulsiveness, mood swings, and distorted self-image can make it difficult to manage your emotions or build close, fulfilling relationships.

If you think you may be experiencing symptoms of BPD, taking this short test—the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD)—can help identify if you need to seek professional treatment.

The questions in the MSI-BPD are based on the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder and the tool has proven useful to mental health professionals in helping to determine the likelihood of BPD. However, there is no definitive medical test to identify and diagnose borderline personality disorder and this test is not intended to replace professional diagnosis.

Take the borderline personality disorder test

Answer the following 10 questions to the best of your ability, scoring 1 point for each “Yes” answer, 0 points for each “No” answer.

Do I have borderline personality disorder?

1. Have any of your closest relationships been troubled by a lot of arguments or repeated breakups?
2. Have you deliberately hurt yourself physically (for example: punched yourself, cut yourself, burned yourself)? How about made a suicide attempt?
3. Have you had at least two other problems with impulsivity (for example: eating binges and spending sprees, drinking too much and verbal outbursts)?
4. Have you been extremely moody?
5. Have you felt very angry a lot of the time? How about often acted in an angry or sarcastic manner?
6. Have you often been distrustful of other people?
7. Have you frequently felt unreal or as if things around you were unreal?
8. Have you chronically felt empty?
9. Have you often felt that you had no idea of who you are or that you have no identity?
10. Have you made desperate efforts to avoid feeling abandoned or being abandoned (for example: repeatedly called someone to reassure yourself that they still cared, begged them not to leave you, clung to them physically)?

Interpreting your score:

0 to 4: Unlikely BPD symptoms present.

5 to 6: Possible BPD symptoms present, especially in adolescents.

7 to 10: Likely presence of BPD symptoms.

This questionnaire is not intended to replace professional diagnosis.

Source: MacLean Screening Instrument for BPD (MSI-BPD)

Getting an accurate BPD diagnosis

It’s important to remember that you can’t diagnose borderline personality disorder on your own and the MSI-BPD is just one screening tool used by professionals to make a diagnosis.

BPD is often confused or overlaps with other conditions, so you need a mental health professional to evaluate you and make an accurate diagnosis. Try to find someone with experience diagnosing and treating borderline personality disorder. Read: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).