Are Men or Women More Likely to Have BPD?

Question: Are Men or Women More Likely to Have BPD?

Are there gender differences in BPD?

Answer:

BPD is more commonly diagnosed in woman than in men. In fact, about 75% of those diagnosed with BPD are women.

However, it is not known whether women are actually more prone to develop BPD, or whether this is due to other factors. For example, it may be that women are more likely to experience the kinds of events (e.g., childhood sexual abuse) that can lead to the development of BPD. Also, there may be sex biases in the diagnosis of BPD. For example, it may be that men with the symptoms of BPD are just more likely to be given another related diagnosis (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder).