𓆩꒷꒦꒷♡꒷꒦꒷𓆪

It’s BPD Awareness Month! As someone who has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder that co-occurs with c-PTSD, depression, and anxiety, it’s a personal mission of mine to speak out and raise awareness when it comes to the stigma surrounding BPD.

Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the most misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and stigmatized mental health conditions, and that’s not just how it’s viewed by uneducated society. Studies show that even therapists and other professionals can have stigmatized views of it, and some choose to limit the amount of BPD patients they’re willing to see (or refuse to treat people with BPD altogether). We’re typically seen as dramatic, manipulative, and attention-seeking, and labeled as “treatment resistant.” Navigating those misconceptions can make it hard for us to ask for help, as it can be difficult to reach out when our symptoms are so often demonized.

BPD is in dire need of understanding. It’s been estimated that 6% of the US population has BPD, and that 1 out of 10 with the disorder die by suicide, while up to 8 out of 10 attempt suicide an average of three times. It causes emotional, behavioral, interpersonal, cognitive, and identity issues. It’s a chronic mental illness characterized by hypersensitive emotions, intense emotional reactivity, and a slow return to emotional baseline.

Marsha Linehan, a psychologist, author, and the creator of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), has said “… borderline individuals are the psychological equivalent of third-degree burn patients. They simply have, so to speak, no emotional skin. Even the slightest touch or movement can create immense suffering.”