Borderline Personality Disorder anyone?

Hello,BPD is a severe mental illness which i believe is largely ignored by society? Most people haven't heard of it and the internet portrays this disorder in a very negative light. I have BPD and have felt more isolated than ever with this disorder. I'd like to hear of other's experiences of bpd, whether it is a carer or as a sufferer or someone who is just bored enough to read this

i have personality disorders and it's awful just awful.

My sister is diagnosed with this and I love her with all my heart !

Her BPD sometimes makes her life difficult, and that is horrible for her
but she keeps fighting on and I really admire her for that
Hb x

Hi Wimmy and all!

I was finally diagnosed about 6 months ago after decades of feeling crappy. Its a funny diagnosis - feels very judgemental in some ways, yet such a relief to be taken seriously and have someone say they get how hard life can often be.... waiting (and waiting) for DBT therapy to start. Scary and hopeful all at the same time... Would love to hear about how people cope - I'm up for beg, borrowing or stealing any coping strategies that might help us all feel life is more bearable

Sal x

DBT is an amazing treatment. Hard, it is rigorous in both the base it was developed on and BECAUSE of the experiences it was developed on. The program sounds counter-intuitive to people who see us w BPD as solely attention seeking. But confusing attention seeking and needing support and guidance has stymied many of us in this hell for years.
I hope you are able to participate in DBT and benefit as I have.
Good therapy and good medications (in-spite of insurance companies) can change your life. For me it has made the difference between suicide and life.
Though, as a lifer, I will never count suicide out as an option. For me it is euthanasia, deliverance from unbelievable misery and emptiness.

Oops; tangent. Hey, maybe you 'get it,' since we are of a tribe?

DBT is an amazing treatment. Hard, it is rigorous in both the base it was developed on and BECAUSE of the experiences it was developed on. The program sounds counter-intuitive to people who see us w BPD as solely attention seeking. But confusing attention seeking and needing support and guidance has stymied many of us in this hell for years.
I hope you are able to participate in DBT and benefit as I have.
Good therapy and good medications (in-spite of insurance companies) can change your life. For me it has made the difference between suicide and life.
Though, as a lifer, I will never count suicide out as an option. For me it is euthanasia, deliverance from unbelievable misery and emptiness.

Oops; tangent. Hey, maybe you 'get it,' since we are of a tribe?

Hi Everyone!
How do you tell if you have BPD? I've been diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder, but I have most BPD symptoms. The psychiatrist said that I couldn't have BPD because I have had a 10 year relationship in the past and that I'm too aware of my behaviour to be suffering from it. Is this a huge generalisation on the psychiatrist's part? Is that really all it boils down to? What do you guys think? Connie x

Hi Eveyone!

I was diagnosed with this in 2010. I must say it was a very painful experience the diagnostic process. Mine came about after I was referred to IMPART by the therapist I was seeing at the time who used to work there. We where doing 'schema' therapy at the time I believe. I think it was my persistent bursting into tears and my concerns about relationship difficulties that made her think it might be the right place for me. My reaction was a mixture of relief that I might get some proper help but also shock which after drawling the internet for information turned to deep depression and self-loathing as there is so much misinformation and just down right nasty stuff written about the condition. I read several books, all of which made me fall deeper and deeper into despair. I have since learnt that a lot has changed over the last ten years on this subject and seek out the most up to date info now, anything later than ten years am dubious about. The one book that I have found very helpful is Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified (your essential guide for understanding and living with BPD) by Robert O. Friedel MD.
I still feel it is early days for me with this, I had CBT therapy from IMPART but had a bad experience with the initial therapist who was very young and seemed inexperienced and I even felt stigmatised and treated wrongly thus wasting a lot of months of the therapy time I had. I am now seeing a psycho-dynamic therapist since January and hope this will help. I feel back into a deep depression in the meantime while I waited for 18 months but am clawing my way back out from under my black dog. Please feel free to friend me here. I am not very good at using this site or forums yet but hope to get the hang of it soon. Connie, I think it rubbish what your P said and would get a second opinion. I wish it had been picked up in me much earlier in my life when I was in long term relationships (which is where the symptoms where more apparent) as it would have saved a lot of heartache for me and others. I must admit I was angry when first diagnosed too for this reason since I'd been in and out of mh services for years and to find out there was specialist help available. Its very frustrating how long anything takes to be discovered and helped. Best wishes

Hi, totally relate. I was diagnosed at the age of 40 (3 years ago) after as suicide attempt failed. I was overjoyed to get the diagnosis simply because when I read about it, I realised it was exactly what I had, every single 'symptom' and it just made me feel that finally I had something to work on. All my life I thought I was going mad, that something was really wrong, that maybe I just was rubbish at relationships, everything. I really struggle with the black and white thinking, deciding that one moment somebody is a soul mate, and then the next that they are the devil incarnate and out to get me. I have major trust issues and just avoid all relationships. I am socially isolated and that is just ruining my life. I finally had to hand over the razor blades and medication to my long suffering husband because I realised that it was affecting his health and life. Things have improved with age - my teens and early twenties were really difficult and I had a string of codependent/abusive relationships. Now that I am married to the best man ever, I really must try and forget the traumas of the past and I am determined not to cock the rest of my life up, but it is soooooooo hard. I feel out of control most of the time, never knowing from one day to the next how I am going to feel. Get so paranoid and anxious some days. Anyway, sorry to go on. Just relieved to finally find like minded people. I did attend group therapy which was very helpful and certainly sorted out my self harm and alcohol issues, but towards the end of the course I found it very difficult especially when new people started and seemed to brag about how much they had self harmed that week, almost like a sort of competition. It wasn't healthy. Love to all tribers, x