Can intelligent people have BPD?

Can Intelligent People Have BPD? Exploring the Surprising Truth

Understanding the Basics: What Is BPD?

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex mental health condition. It’s not just “mood swings” or being “dramatic” (ugh, those stereotypes are so outdated). It involves emotional dysregulation, unstable relationships, impulsive behaviors, and a shaky sense of identity.

Core symptoms of BPD

• Intense fear of abandonment

• Rapidly shifting self-image

• Extreme emotional reactions

• Impulsivity (money, sex, eating—name it)

• Chronic feelings of emptiness

• Sometimes even dissociation or paranoia

People with BPD often feel things more deeply than others. And yes, that can be overwhelming as hell.

Intelligence and Mental Illness: Are They Connected?

So, here’s where things get interesting. There's a weird assumption floating around that intelligent people “shouldn’t” have mental disorders. Total myth.

Wait, can you be smart and struggle?

Hell yes. Intelligence doesn’t protect you from emotional pain. If anything, being hyper-aware can make emotional instability even harder to live with.

In fact, some studies show a correlation between high IQ and higher emotional sensitivity. Combine that with invalidating environments or trauma, and boom—conditions like BPD can emerge.

Signs of High Intelligence in People with BPD

Okay, this part might surprise you. Many people with BPD show cognitive strengths like:

• Verbal fluency (they can out-talk you in debates any day)

• Sharp intuition

• Creative thinking (writers, musicians, visual artists—so many are out there)

• Analytical skills (sometimes too analytical—hello overthinking)

But... the emotional chaos can mess with how they use those strengths. It’s frustrating. Like being stuck in a loop of "I know what’s happening and still can’t stop it."

Real Talk: Personal Story Time

I knew someone—let’s call her “L”—who was doing her PhD in neuroscience (I mean, seriously smart). She could quote Jung, Foucault, and Beyoncé in the same breath. But she also struggled with intense emotional spirals, self-harm urges, and fear of being “too much” for everyone.

She was eventually diagnosed with BPD. And her reaction? Relief. She told me, “I thought I was just broken. Now I know my brain is wired for extremes.” Therapy helped. A lot.

Debunking the Stereotypes About BPD

“They’re manipulative”

No. Many people with BPD are trying to regulate overwhelming feelings with the only tools they know.

“They’re not logical”

Wrong again. You can be intellectually brilliant and emotionally chaotic at the same time. The brain isn't a one-trick pony.

Can Intelligence Help with Recovery?

Now here’s a plot twist: some mental health professionals say intellectual insight can help with therapy. High-functioning individuals with BPD often respond well to:

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

• Schema Therapy

• Mindfulness-based strategies

That said, too much intellectualizing can also get in the way. Some people use smarts to avoid feelings (oh yeah, that defense mechanism is real).

Final Thoughts: It’s Not Either/Or

So, can intelligent people have BPD? Absolutely. Emotional suffering doesn't discriminate by IQ.

Having BPD doesn’t mean someone is irrational, dangerous, or incapable of success. And being intelligent doesn’t cancel out the very real pain that BPD can bring.

Actually—if we’re being totally honest—some of the most brilliant minds out there are navigating inner storms we can’t even imagine. And they’re doing it with courage most of us wouldn't recognize at first glance.

Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?

The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.