Home1
Psychological tests2
Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire for Borderline Personality Disorder3

Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire for Borderline Personality Disorder Test

Understand which belief patterns drive BPD symptoms in about 3 minutes. Get clear targets for treatment, track progress over time, and use it easily in person or remotely.

Start Online Test

Questions: 143 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

20,968 views

1,473 completions

1,141 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

13/20

Protection (P)

Measures beliefs about needing precautionary self-protection to avoid rejection, emotional aggression, or other interpersonal harm.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 13: Moderate | 14 – 20: High

A score of 13 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting fairly strong protective beliefs that may lead to caution and anticipatory defensiveness in relationships.

example score

8/16

Dependency (D)

Measures the degree to which a person views themselves as needy, helpless, and reliant on others for support, decisions, and self-evaluation.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 10: Moderate | 11 – 16: High

A score of 8 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable tendency to depend on others for reassurance or decision-making in some situations.

example score

15/20

Mistrust (M)

Measures the extent to which a person expects others to be untrustworthy, exploitative, or acting with negative intent.

Low distrust

Moderate distrust

High distrust

0 – 6: Low distrust | 7 – 13: Moderate distrust | 14 – 20: High distrust

A score of 15 falls in the High distrust range, suggesting a strong tendency to anticipate harm or exploitation from others, which can make closeness and cooperation feel unsafe.

example score

20/56

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Measures the intensity of dysfunctional beliefs and cognitive distortions commonly associated with borderline personality disorder patterns.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 18: Low | 19 – 37: Moderate | 38 – 56: High

A score of 20 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not extreme presence of BPD-related dysfunctional beliefs that may influence emotions and relationships.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Therapy clients with BPD traits

44%OF USERS

People who struggle with emotional swings, fear of abandonment, and unstable relationships take it to pinpoint beliefs that keep the patterns going.

Therapists planning treatment

33%OF USERS

Clinicians use it as a quick cognitive scan to set clear therapy targets and track belief changes over time.

Partners and close relatives

23%OF USERS

Loved ones take it to better understand the belief patterns behind intense reactions and recurring conflicts in close relationships.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Protection (P)

Average

Normal range

12.3 — 17.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Addiction (A)

Average

11.2

Normal range

9.1 — 13.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Distrust (D)

Average

12.4

Normal range

9.7 — 15.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Average

24.1

Normal range

15.1 — 33.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Start Online Test

Featured On

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Please read the statements below and rate the extent to which you are convinced of each one. When rating each statement, base your response on how you feel most of the time.

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree more than agree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree more than disagree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 14 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

Start Online Test

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Questionnaire on Dysfunctional Beliefs in BPD Test

Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire for Borderline Personality Disorder Test - Symptoms and Signs

irrational beliefs

cognitive therapy

cbt

borderline disorder

This brief self-report measure is designed to help identify cognitive beliefs that may contribute to features of borderline personality pathology. The Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire for Borderline Personality Disorder provides a structured way to sample maladaptive assumptions relevant to self-concept, interpersonal expectations, and emotion-related appraisals.

The instrument includes 14 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete. Responses can support clinical formulation by highlighting belief themes that may be treatment targets, and they may be revisited over time to track shifts in endorsement as therapy progresses. Results from the Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire for Borderline Personality Disorder should be interpreted within the context of a comprehensive assessment and are not, by themselves, diagnostic.

Author: Aaron T. Beck, Marsha M. Linehan

Literature: Beck, A. T., Freeman, A., Davis, D. D., & Associates. Cognitive therapy of personality disorders. Guilford Press. 2004.; Arntz, A., & van Genderen, H. Schema therapy for borderline personality disorder. Wiley-Blackwell. 2009.