Doja Cat has opened up about how her Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) diagnosis has made it difficult for her to trust romantic partners. The 30-year-old singer first spoke about her BPD diagnosis in March, admitting she has been 'struggling' and has undergone therapy for years.
Living with BPD
In a new interview with ELLE UK, the star delved deeper into the coping mechanisms she employs in her everyday life. 'If I have a boyfriend and he leaves just to run errands, my brain thinks he's breaking up with me,' she explained. BPD is a mental health condition characterised by symptoms such as 'mood swings, anger, and impulsiveness,' according to the Mayo Clinic, which states it affects how people feel about themselves and others, making daily functioning challenging.
'I have to scrape against it and teach myself that that's not happening to me. I'm safe,' Doja Cat added.
Emotional Barriers
Doja Cat, whose real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, also revealed how she intentionally erects emotional walls while simultaneously feeling vulnerable. 'There are little things I do to make people think I don't care, or that I don't feel anything. I do those things on purpose to feel tough. And I am tough. But I'm not that tough. It is a mask,' she said.
The singer recently described herself as a 'serial dater' and was last linked to actor Joseph Quinn, with whom she was first spotted in London in August 2024.
Upcoming Tour and Plans
Doja Cat is currently on her Tour Ma Vie world tour, which will arrive in the UK for a series of dates later this month before heading to Europe and the US, concluding with a performance at Madison Square Garden in November. She expressed excitement about performing for UK fans, noting that the 'enthusiastic' London crowd makes it one of her favourite places to perform. However, she also looks forward to a long break after the tour.
'I think I want to take three years off,' she told ELLE UK. 'I want to just do whatever. I might do another mural. I'm going to furnish this whole upper area of my house because there's literally nothing in here and there's been nothing in here for four years or five.'
Doja Cat released her fifth album, Vie, in September, which features a heavy 1980s influence and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200. The June issue of ELLE UK is available from 14 May.
