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Coping with Borderline Personality Disorder
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In his column on mental health, clinical psychologist Hap LeCrone offers information about Borderline Personality Disorder. It’s a problem that has been found in roughly 2 percent of the U.S. population.
People suffering from BPD typically experience chronic and intense patterns of instability. According to LeCrone, “this disorder is higher in females and usually begins in adolescence and early adult years. Symptoms often gradually diminish in middle and later life.”
Maintaining a relationship with someone who suffers from BPD also can be difficult. Loved ones often feel they are being manipulated or that they must walk on egg shells.
Have you dealt with BPD? What has been the best treatment plan?
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Better Health
Comments
By Pru 1007
August 27, 2008 11:18 AM | Link to this
I dated a girl who had BPD and it was one of the most difficult periods of my life. You never know what is going to happen, and just when you think that things are working out, everything turns upside down. My ex-girlfriend was a real life “Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”——it was crazy. Even though I loved her, I knew that there was no way that I could marry her. I empathize with anyone that is going through this. Therapy helped me understand that it was not my fault.
By Anomyous today
August 27, 2008 3:17 PM | Link to this
Pru, you are lucky. I married mine then when I wanted to end it he would go from bawling to screaming at me and everything was my fault. And there where days where he acted like nothing had happened. Sad part is he still does not see that something is wrong with him. To bad, he could get help. But when I try to say anything I’m just being hateful and that I didn’t want to try save things.
By Pru 1007
August 27, 2008 5:47 PM | Link to this
There should be support groups for this.
By Jay
September 3, 2008 8:06 AM | Link to this
I was married to one for 17 years. They’re impossible to live with. I thought I was the one who was crazy. It’s taken 8 years for me to feel normal again.
By Britt
September 3, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this
My best friend was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and was put on a decent amount of medication for it. She would call me every other night at 2 in the morning sobbing and making no sense at all. The next day, it was like nothing had ever happened. I couldn’t help her, and she relied on the medication to help herself. At the age of 19, she commited suicide. It was then that doctors decided she had BPD…there should be a better way to diagnose.
By Kim
September 16, 2008 11:06 AM | Link to this
My mom is BPD, they diagnosed it when she attempted suicide right before I got home from deployment in Nov ‘05. Because she refuses to seek help for herself, and because she will not accept any responsibility for her actions, she and I do not have any sort of relationship. I am civil and put my best foot forward at family functions, but otherwise have nothing to do with her. I am ok with it due to therapy, and I hold no malice toward her. But I also maintain my boundaries, for my own mental health. It’s a sad situation, and I feel sorry for her, but I can also say that my own life is much more “drama free” without her in it.
By Vivian
September 26, 2008 5:36 PM | Link to this
Although I know it’s terribly difficult for those who are in a relationship with people who are borderline to cope, being borderline is a nightmare. Even when you know what are you doing is because of an illness, and that you are being crazy, it’s hard to stop. Honestly, since being diagnosed, my world has just shattered more and more- I cannot look at my life in a unified, single lens anymore. Everything is fragmented and tinted by my illness, and my whole existence has become a neurosis of analyzing all of my actions to determine if they’re sane. As hard as this disorder is to live with, I really don’t think there is a treatment for it either.