An introduction to co-occurring borderline personality disorder and substance use disorders in brief

Although the main focus of this fact sheet is the co-occurrence of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), it provides a great deal of information about suicide risk among people with BPD. In fact, BPD is the only mental disorder diagnosis that includes suicide attempts or self-harming behaviors among its diagnostic criteria. As many as 79% of those with BPD attempt and 8 -10% die by suicide. Individuals with co-occurring BPD and SUD can be difficult to treat because the suicidality and self-harm risks associated with BPD may be exacerbated by the use of alcohol or other drugs.