Last post Tue, Jun 24 2008 5:10 PM by naomimimi. 4 replies.
Hi,
Just wanted to get this condition on the discussion boards.
For those who don't know about this condition, it's one of the more devastating and difficult to treat disorders in the mental disorder spectrum. It's not an organic condition but generally appears in teens and adults who were both abused and neglected. Most people with Borderline are female. I don't have the DSM handy but some of the hallmarks of Borderline are drastic mood changes, self injury, repeated suicidal threats or gestures, repeated suicide attempts, risky behaviors such as promiscuous sex, excessive spending, drinking, drug use, gambling, etc., fear of abandonment and difficulty maintaining relationships. This is a bit paradoxical, as most sufferers of BDP, upon first glance, are "apparently competent" and have a capable demeanor, which explains why this condition is so widely underdiagnosed.
For many years, BDP was considered extremely difficult to treat, thus it had a stigma among mental health care providers that made things more difficult for those suffering with it. This was due to the early theory that this illness was on the "borderline" between neurosis and psychosis and the belief that patients with BDP were potentially dangerous to their therapists as well as to themselves. Thankfully these attitudes and ideas have changed over the past ten years or so. It's sometimes said that people who suffer from BDP "grow out of it" as they hit their 30s - and to some extent, this may be true. One theory about BDP is that is may be a particular set of maladaptions related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
My own history does include abuse and neglect during childhood. My first suicide attempt was at age 8, I began physically abusing others at age 11, was hospitalized at 15 after an overdose and it just continued to spiral out of control from there. The first time I ever heard the term Borderline Personality Disorder was in my mid twenties, after I had been suffering for more than 15 years! Maintaining employment has been impossible for me and I have found it difficult to maintain friendships (not due to emotional dysregulation but just finding it hard to let people know me well). I have learned to regulate my moods better through personal study of cognitive therapy books and through my Orthodox Christian faith. When under extreme stress, I still exhibit PTSD/BPD type symptoms which typically appear as angry outbursts or suicidal ideation. Avoiding stress is helpful but in order to truly overcome this disorder, it will be necessary to improve my coping abilities so that I don't have to avoid things that are ultimately necessary and beneficial (such as work!!!!). I have worked part time on and off over the years but ultimately my family has paid the price for my illness (literally) and that is a heavy thing for me to live with.
I'm not really interested in sympathy from anyone but rather in helping to make it known that this condition does exist and to encourage others suffering from it to accept responsibility for their recovery inasmuch as they are able.
Hi, and welcome to the board. You're right about BPD and how it's been mis/underdiagnosed. I've worked with hundreds of mostly women who have partners with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) and it overlaps BPD in many ways. (It's very similar and on the same spectrum, I believe, but diagnostically it's extremely difficult to diagnose, and is usually diagnosed as a result of the mental health professional talking to the person's partner.) Unlike NPD, BPD is treatable if the patient wants to make the changes. In the over ten years I've been working with people, I've yet to see someone with NPD or someone who charts high on the narcissistic scale ever get into a serious recovery. Not saying it doesn't happen, but in my experience, I've never seen it happen.
A good friend of mine has BPD and she also struggles with PTSD as a result of years of systematic childhood abuse, and a physically abusive ex-husband. She's got the added "bonus" of having problems with some medications that don't work for her. On the plus side, her degree is in mental health and she works in that field, so she's got an excellent professional support network.
There is help and hope out there. The good thing is you recognize you have symptoms and are making strides in your recovery.
Thanks for your comments.
It seems a few of the personality disorders are often comorbid.
I remember reading somewhere that patients with Borderline often have a narcissistic parent. This really does fit as a causative factor in BPD, which is said to be caused by lack of validation (it's a shame this word has been cheapened, as it refers to something so important to proper childhood development). Because people with pronounced narcissistic personality traits have difficulty seeing others are distinct people, it would be quite difficult, I think, for them to recognize feelings and needs in young children, let alone to validate them (not impossible but difficult).
It would be interesting to hear from more folks on the boards with personality disorders.
I was first told I had bpd when I was in my early 30's and I didn't know what it was, I just denied having it. Then about 5 years into it I decided I had better learn about bpd and so the journey began. For the most part yes I agree I believe a person does grow out of the bpd state. I believe this is done threw alot of inter personal work and a wanting to be well. The stigma attached to such a disorder is horrible I did not discuss the disorder with anyone. My current psy. doc. doesn't know about the bpd as I have not allowed my medical records to be forwarded to him. To this day I believe that was the right decision for me at least. I have my doctor's full attention on my clinical depression which I feel I need the most help with.
If I am lucky I will be envolved is a clinical trail using an implanted device to stimulate the vagal nerve within the next month.
Here's keeping my finger's crossed XXXX
Hey Myrrh,
BDP has been a huge part of my life since I grew up with a narssistic (sp?) AND BPD parent. It is a very tricky and difficult diagnosis, and from what I understand, the exploration is only beginning.
It's always nice to know that there are others out there who can relate when I talk about growing up in a home with BPD.
