Wow, this is such an awesome topic ! Thank you for posing the question.

My honest opinion, as a sufferer for more than 18 years, is that this condition will NOT improve unless you do something about it. Whether you're 30 or 50, it will bite you unless you actively seek improvement.

I am 31, and my story, at least superficially, is remarkably similar to yours. I also feel like I no longer meet all 9 symptoms (I did, in the past), or even the minimum - 5, but just have tendencies now.

For me, doctors and therapy did NOT help AT ALL. I feel that all of my improvement can only be attributed to my own hard work alone. I also am a loner, with ZERO social support - no friends, no girlfriends, no supportive family. I did this all by myself, really.

I did also feel that 30 was a milestone, but only because I have constantly been striving to improve, and working very hard at it. But, what is much more important than the age, is that I realized, after many failed attempts, that one needs to work smart, not just work hard.

What I mean is - at some point, one needs to realize that, the past is not going to get better, you need to process and move on from it. The world is not going to adapt to you, you need to adapt to it. Others will do what others want to do, the only thing you can control is how YOU react to them. Once you make these fundamental realizations, improvement can begin in earnest.

Another key thing for me was - to let go of the label "BPD", and think of my challenges in more ordinary terms. I tried to tackle the symptoms separately and as just being part of the human condition, as opposed to being parts of a "personality disorder". Letting go of the labels (I also fit "Bipolar Type 2") helped me a LOT.

I have seen significant improvement with many of the symptoms - anger, particularly. In the past, I had horrible road rage to the point of doing something utterly suicidal. Now, I just tell myself, "It's not worth it.", move over to the right, and let the tailgater pass.

In short, yes, I think this illness can be overcome, it requires very hard (and "smart") work, age is not so much a factor as are life experience and reflection and contemplation. I am just beginning to see improvement, and I am VERY excited to think about the possibilities opening up for me and what the future may hold

Wish you the very best of luck with your recovery Feel free to PM me. We seem to have similar recovery paths.