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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/47177
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

The protagonist of my trilogy-in-progress suffers from a serve case of Borderline Personality Disorder. Among his symptoms are continually splitting, unstable self-image, chronic feelings of emptiness, promiscuity, distrust of others, impulsivity and body dysmorphia (worsened by the fact that he's ashamed by magical markings all over his body and his (TV Tropes link warning!) [lacking stature](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheNapoleon), even though many characters (TV Tropes link warning!) [find him attractive in spite of them](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FreakinessShame).

However, one aspect of BPD I'm struggling to portray in believable light is the intense emotional outbursts that the protagonist experiences through the story without him coming across as an inconsistently written character. I fear many readers unfamiliar with BPD's many nuances will simply write off my protagonist as a histrionic arsehole, or that I may get dinged for demonizeing mental illness.

**How do I portray the thoughts and feelings of a mood-swing character with BPD in an accurate and sensitive manner?**

Original score: 7