“Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is disorder marred by unstable moods, emotions and relationships”
-Google Search
It is a very common disorder and is most often in adults aged 18-60. The problem that many people face with BPD is that it is a chronic disorder which can only be managed but not cured. You will have to learn to manage and control the symptoms without the help of any medicines. Therapy may help but all in all, it will be a battle of you against your mind. The most well-known attribute with BPD is the co-existence of another mental disorder which mostly is depression, anxiety or manic. It is a comparatively newly termed mental illness. It found its first mention only in 1980 in DSM III. Before this it was known Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD).
BPD & Me.
I haven’t been diagnosed with BPD but I have been told that I have some of its traits. A history of self-harm, suicidal tendencies in the past, a very strict moral standard and tendency to try and see everything in black and white. I have been in control of it very well but there are days at times where I lose control and end up doing something I regret. It happens much less frequently now. I try and be a more cheerful guy. Then again, there are days when the inner personality surfaces and I end up harming either someone else or myself. It is somewhat like longing for a human connection, human touch but then when it does arrive, every single cell in our body is bent on pushing it away. It is hating yourself for what you are and being self destructive at the same time.
Positives of BPD
There are rarely any good sides to having a mental illness. This is not an attempt to glorify it or to romanticize it. This is looking at the positive side of something to feel better. It might make people feel that tinier bit more self-confident. A person with BPD would be very passionate and intense about something that interests them. If we find something we like, we must give it everything we have to know all tiny details about it. We must obsess over them, no matter what the cost. It is a small ray of sunshine in the roller-coaster that BPD is and there are thousands of people globally riding the ride daily.
Public Opinions.
Like most mental illnesses, BPD is often seen as an excuse for being sensitive and aggressive. It is shrugged off as another psychological jargon with little evidence or support. People unfortunately choose to ignore all the overwhelming evidence in support of existence of BPD. It is very common to hear people saying that people are being given a label rather than being helped. I understand that point of view. I personally think that we need to know what we are fighting in order to fight it. If we go into battle against an unknown, immeasurable force; we would find it hard to fight.
If a person is diagnosed with BPD, it is likely that they would try and understand it better online. There they will see a barrage of terms like ‘excuse’, ‘weakness’, ‘attention-seeking’, ‘victimisation’ and so many more.
I understand why people find it tough to understand this illness. We all have mood swings. One moment we are happy and the next we feel sad. BPD is much more than that. It is having the (dis)ability to go from one extreme emotion to the next in a matter of seconds. This may be triggered by a word, action or phrase. It could also be triggered by a thought in our mind or something someone said. People suffering from it need support and belief. It will not be easy to stand by someone with BPD but for the sufferer, it would be the world.
Rajeev visited a psychiatrist for the first time today. He didn’t know what the doctor would do. Never before had he visited someone, he considered the Loony Doctor. Is there some secret chant that all psychiatrists have to cure mental illnesses? Do they have miracle drugs that manufacture happiness? What is so special about a psychiatrist? Find out tomorrow on knightofsteel.com
Must say Arjun your theme is something I loved as I think we dont speak enough of depression, there is so much stigma associated with it. BPD surely seems tough to handle in fact I have seen many people get into violent mood swings, now makes me wonder if they have really bothered to diagnose that something needs medical help
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Thank you Akshata. The problem with BPD is that doctors can only diagnose the problem or help manage it. There are no medications available. The ones that exist right now aren’t proven to have any long lasting effect. It really is a hard disorder to cope with.
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Learnt a lot about BPD. Never thought that there was a name attached to this symptom. We do find such people in our vicinity but remain ignorant of how to medicate or find a solution. Good article. You may read mine https://wordpress.com/post/sukrisblog.wordpress.com/1939
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Thank you Sudha. There is some issue with my app right now. I’ll make sure to go through your post when I get back home. ☺️
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This is a brilliant theme, Mental Health is quite a sensitive topic for masses and today this needs to be probed and should be created awareness about. Had no clue about BPD, learnt a new thing today. Thank You 🙂
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You’re welcome ☺️. Over the course of this month I hope you learn more things and aspects of mental health.
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This is truly a great theme ..mental health is really important to be taken care of.
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Thankyou so much for the appreciation. I too think that mental health is a topic we should all talk about freely and pay a lot of importantance to.
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this article made me realise how different a person can be due to disorder but we are not able to recognise it,rather sometimes we hurt the sufferer. thank you for this article.
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I said this yesterday and I am going to repeat this until we arrive at Z. We don’t speak about mental health enough and I really appreciate your initiative to bring it up just like any other health issues.
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Thankyou very much. I have the same views as yours and really do respect the fact that others too think the same way.
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What a dreadful disease…fighting self and then punishing self. My heart goes out to all those who might be fighting this inside demon. Wish there is some cure…some day in future may be.
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It is very hard to face I completely agree. The thing about mental illnesses is that it is a lot harder to cure than any other physical illness. It is time consuming and one needs to put loads of effort into it. Thankyou so much for supporting us in this.
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I wonder if its really easy to be diagnosed as some of the symptoms are really common. The kind of stigma attached to mental illnesses in our country do make it difficult. I am sure BPD is very common among people around us.
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It is very important that we avoid self diagnosis and trust professionals with this. Self diagnosis is often accurate but seldom reliable. I will actually write about that this month as well.
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Lots of us have some element of a psychological disorder or the other.
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We often have traits, Moderate or severe traits, but they are not always disorders. It is the job of the professional to determine which one it is.
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This is a dreadful situation, wanting human connections but then rejecting them. I cannot imagine how a person goes through their daily life. Hope more people learn about BPD and be sensitive to others suffering from BPD.
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It is indeed. It will take time for people to be aware about it. At the same time, we would have to make sure that people don’t diagnose themselves. We should trust rhe professionals with that.
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Hi – I really like this articulate, I’m beginning to start my own page about BPD if anyone would like to follow me.
http://borderlinejt.wordpress.com
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All the best!
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Mental health needs to be discussed. Learnt a lot about BPD from your post. Thanks for sharing such valuable information.
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You’re welcome 🙂
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My daughter is in her first year of college and is being evaluated for BPD. It has been tough since middle school for but finally a potential answer. I’m hoping I can learn from you by following.
Thanks for sharing!!
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