Another athlete…another disorder

As impressed as I was with an athlete coming forward with the news that he was suffering from depression, this week’s athlete coming out as being diagnosed with a disorder moved me even more. This week Brandon Marshall of the Miami Dolphins came out stating he had Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). He discussed his treatment, and his desire to be an advocate. He is shining a light on a disorder that many shun, and don’t like to talk about. Many in the mental health field would do almost anything to avoid working with a patient with BPD. Personality disorders are … Continue reading →

Borderline Personality Disorder: Joanie’s Story

In our continuing series on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) (see links below), we will look today at the story of Joanie. Joanie began to display the initial symptoms of BPD when she was in her late teens but was not formally diagnosed with the disorder for several years. As is typical of persons suffering BPD, Joanie’s personality is essentially unstable, with inexplicable mood swings and rapid changes in her view of her own self. Hence her “apparent” self esteem could range from being very outgoing and confident to being self absorbed and unsure of herself. In reality, Joanie has low … Continue reading →

Living with a Parent with Borderline Personality Disorder (2)

In the first article of this series, we read about the difficulties a child encounters when their parent suffers from borderline personality disorder (BPD). We looked at the story of Anna, a 21-year-old woman whose mother suffered from BPD. Anna did well to become a functioning adult, but with her mother’s erratic lifestyle and rapidly changing moods, Anna had many difficulties to cope with. The least was her mother’s continual on-off relationships. Always volatile and intense, Anna’s mother, Claire, made Anna’s childhood a misery. Constantly disappointed in her mother’s failure to attend important school days, she would sometimes believe in … Continue reading →

Living with a Parent with Borderline Personality Disorder (1)

It’s not easy living with any person who suffers from emotional instability but it is particularly difficult when you are a child in that situation. In fact, even when you are an adult, it can still be difficult to cope with such a parent. This is particularly the case with Borderline Personality Disorder. In Borderline Personality Disorder: Diagnostic Criteria , we looked at the characteristic requirements necessary to be diagnosed with this confronting disorder. Today we look at what it is like to grow up with a parent suffering from this condition. Anna’s mother Claire had shown signs of emotional … Continue reading →

Borderline Personality Disorder: Hope for Kerri

We looked at the day-to-day problems of living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and focused on the lifestyle of Kerri, a vivacious yet erratic 39-year-old woman who lived life on a knife’s edge. You can read the first part of Kerri’s story by clicking on the link below. Kerri experienced periods of relative emotional stability but the periods of normality were always tenuous and could easily be displaced whenever an event occurred that threatened Kerri’s emotional security. She feared being abandoned, yet sought love in the wrong places. She was unreliable, both personally and in her work, and therefore put … Continue reading →

Borderline Personality Disorder: Kerri’s Story

Most people on first meeting Kerri might come away thinking that she is vivacious, intelligent and caring. However, it doesn’t take too many meetings with Kerri to realize that something is just not right. Kerri is 39 years old and has never been able to save money. In fact, she has several credit cards which are maxed out. She has never owned a car due to her inability to save. Although she badly needs a new microwave, she spent the $200 her grandfather gave her to help her out on a leather jacket. She wore the jacket once and a … Continue reading →

Borderline Personality Disorder: Causes and Treatment

Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the most common of the personality disorders, affecting approximately 15% of the population. Sufferers typically indulge in intense but stormy relationships, have difficulty exerting control over their emotions, display marked impulsivity in their behaviors, fear abandonment and may indulge in self-harming behaviors and suicidal thoughts. Sufferers of borderline personality disorder often have associated mood disturbances with up to 70% also experiencing major depression. Eating disorders are also common: up to 25% of bulimics have a co-diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Well over 50% of substance abuse sufferers also show signs of borderline personality disorder. … Continue reading →

Borderline Personality Disorder: Diagnostic criteria

The term “Borderline Personality Disorder” is often bandied about by the media and laymen alike. Many of the behaviors that constitute the disorder are common to other disorders and indeed, normal human behavior. However for an accurate diagnosis to be made, a person must exhibit a pervasive pattern of instability in personal relationships, self esteem, and moods, in addition to marked impulsivity in behavior which typically begins in early adulthood. For a decisive diagnosis to be made at least five of the following characteristics must be present: 1. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. The sufferer reports feelings … Continue reading →

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Although this disorder has a high profile, particularly in the media, there is often confusion about what this condition really is. As it is one of the most common of the personality disorders, manifesting in roughly 15% of the population, let’s firstly investigate some of the classic symptoms of borderline personality disorder. We’ll start by having a look at the typical lifestyle of Lila, aged 39, who was diagnosed in her late teens with Borderline Personality Disorder. Lila leads a tumultuous life. There always seems to be some drama happening that is causing her distress, but on closer inspection, an … Continue reading →