Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) - Can you tell me about it?
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental/personality disorder that can cause depression and serious anxiety in the person who suffers from it as well as those who live around them and care about them.
I've known someone with this disorder for quite some time now, but although I was aware they were "different", I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Over the years this person has gone from being a child to an adult, and as they get older, the problems seem to be increasing exponentially. It's gone from being simply a "difference" which was perhaps annoying, to something very serious and truly life altering for anyone and everyone around them.
After reading a description of BPD, it was pretty clear to me and several others that this is at least part of the person's issue. Psych Central has some easy to read and understand articles I'll add below, but I've yet to find much that talks about the challenges of living with or knowing someone with BPD.
I'm curious if anyone has any other informative links to help the people that care about BPD sufferers, or care to share any experiences they've had from any perspective.
What is it like to live with someone who has a mood disorder? Those with mood disorders don't acknowledge they are "different". They don't want help. How do you convince someone with BPD that they need help? What about the family and friends of the BPD personality - how can they cope from day to day?
Here are those informative links I've found so far:
Introduction to borderline Personality Disorder
Symptoms of BPD
FAQ's of BPD
Characteristics of BPD
Mentalization
I've known someone with this disorder for quite some time now, but although I was aware they were "different", I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Over the years this person has gone from being a child to an adult, and as they get older, the problems seem to be increasing exponentially. It's gone from being simply a "difference" which was perhaps annoying, to something very serious and truly life altering for anyone and everyone around them.
After reading a description of BPD, it was pretty clear to me and several others that this is at least part of the person's issue. Psych Central has some easy to read and understand articles I'll add below, but I've yet to find much that talks about the challenges of living with or knowing someone with BPD.
I'm curious if anyone has any other informative links to help the people that care about BPD sufferers, or care to share any experiences they've had from any perspective.
What is it like to live with someone who has a mood disorder? Those with mood disorders don't acknowledge they are "different". They don't want help. How do you convince someone with BPD that they need help? What about the family and friends of the BPD personality - how can they cope from day to day?
Here are those informative links I've found so far:
Introduction to borderline Personality Disorder
Symptoms of BPD
FAQ's of BPD
Characteristics of BPD
Mentalization
Tags: abandonment, anxiety, borderline personality diso..., bpd, depression, identity, impulsivity, manipulation, personality disorders
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by amanda on -
I'm glad you brought up BPD, Ellen. It's definitely a misunderstood condition and one that needs more awareness from Health Activists in and out of the mental health community. It's strange thet schizophrenia seems to get more attention those BPD affects twice as many people (at least).
What's interesting is that, in addition to BPD, most of those diagnosed with BPD also had a high rate of:
- anxiety disorders
- mood disorders (depression, bipolar)
- eating disorders
- somatoform disorders
- dissociative disorders (DID, formerly mult. personality disorder)
I wrote a blog post a while back called "What You Should Know About Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)" - check it out here. I explain a bit more about the disorder, the brain, and link to a few resources in that post as well as to the discussion BPD.
I think the most "publicity" that BPD has had was when it was featured in the memoir Girl interrupted (and the film). This is a double-edge sword.
There are a lot of scientists pointing to an overactive amygdala as the cause for BPD. The amygdala is the part of the brain that stores our instinctive flight, fight, or freeze responses. It is also where we remember trauma and how to react to certain situations.
There is a relatively new type of therapy for those with BPD called Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder. Learn more about DBT here.
I'd be interested in hearing more from those who have come in close contact with BPD through their own diagnosis or someone close to them. There is something about having a personal account that helps me, personally, understand certain illnesses in a way better way than just reading facts or figures.
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