To think women are often oppressed through the label of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (also known as BPD)

[UndertheCedartree]

I made a post recently asking a question which was answered by many posters and the thread gave me the help I needed. However, many posters cited that no one could help me and even did Advanced searches and from that claimed I couldn't be helped because of my mental illness. It was said noone could understand my post if they didn't know this although it was irrelevant to my question and this was proved by all those who helped without knowing that. This is not a TAAT - it is about the general ableism shown to those with EUPD who are mainly women.

The name of the mental illness itself causes people to think there is a problem with our moral character or our personality but that is not the case. EUPD is an illness of mood and how one interacts with others.

Women with EUPD are often described as manipulative. However, this is not one of the symptoms of EUPD. Sometimes a woman described as manipulative is simply trying to seek the attention they require.

Women with EUPD are often described as abusive. However, the truth is most women with EUPD have suffered trauma often as a result of all types of abuse. Of course anyone can be abusive but it is not a symptom of EUPD. Most of us are more at risk of being abused ourselves.

Women with EUPD are often called 'drama queens'. It is often this invalidating environment in childhood along with trauma and differences in the brain which leads to EUPD.

People think it can't be cured. It can, although most aren't cured but some learn to live with the illness. The Gold standard treatment is DBT. Most women are not able to access this.

It's the new hysteria.

It's very true YANBU.
Also, I would suggest any woman diagnosed with eupd/bpd push for autistic assesment, as autistic women are often misdiagnosed with eupd/bpd.

The DSM just like to make shit up.

It means every psychologist has to buy a new book at $400 a pop, and the insurance companies (US) have something to label people and provide a pill for.

Most personality disorder psychology from the DSM is utter shite, not just this 'condition', please don't be shamed by it. A lot of psychologists do not adhere to such terms and will take the time to understand the root trauma.

YANBU
I think it’s lazy diagnosis, and a reason for mental health poor care.

I am sorry you felt you were met with unkindness previously.

I didn't know that EUPD/BPD is curable, that is really good news.

@eloquent

It's very true YANBU. Also, I would suggest any woman diagnosed with eupd/bpd push for autistic assesment, as autistic women are often misdiagnosed with eupd/bpd.

Agreed.

There has in the last couple of years more information coming out about misdiagnosis with eupd/bpd and that sometimes people have autism or adhd to.

The full thing needs relooked at and anyone who needs help with anything need to be able to access that help when needed. Not ignored because of a diagnosis and thought of as less which sadly does happen.

I agree. I have it, and I never tell anyone as I can’t deal with how differently people treat me once they know.
And they would never guess I had it. I’m not “cured” but I successfully hold down a professional job and try very hard to manage my life in a way in which I avoid situations which are likely to set me off.
Cutting out toxic relationships is a big part of that, as they were my worst triggers for emotional breakdowns. Also, living as healthy lifestyle as possible helps keep me stable.

Yes, many women are inappropriately diagnosed with BPD because the NHS does not have a framework to offer them the right kind of support, which would most often be good trauma informed therapy. Just like any other group of people, I’ve met people with a BPD diagnosis who are lovely, and some, one in particular, who is absolutely vile, but that’s because she’s a vile person, not because she has a diagnosis of BPD.

YANBU. I worked in mental health and all the women I supported with BPD had experienced awful trauma and had perfectly natural reactions reactions to said trauma, then labelled as BPD or similar and failed by the system. Once trauma is pathologised it can be used to discredit, i.e. rape or DV victim perceived as lying, crazy, manipulative, delusional etc, then can't secure conviction. But often suitable therapy and other support is locked behind a diagnosis, so you often need to get a MH diagnosis to get some level of support. So damned if you do damned if you don't.

And I can’t drink alcohol anymore as it makes me suicidal. Cutting out alcohol really helped.

@eloquent

It's very true YANBU. Also, I would suggest any woman diagnosed with eupd/bpd push for autistic assesment, as autistic women are often misdiagnosed with eupd/bpd.

Just what I was going to say. Thankfully assessment of females is on the up. But still not good enough.

@Freecuthbert

YANBU. I worked in mental health and all the women I supported with BPD had experienced awful trauma and had perfectly natural reactions reactions to said trauma, then labelled as BPD or similar and failed by the system. Once trauma is pathologised it can be used to discredit, i.e. rape or DV victim perceived as lying, crazy, manipulative, delusional etc, then can't secure conviction. But often suitable therapy and other support is locked behind a diagnosis, so you often need to get a MH diagnosis to get some level of support. So damned if you do damned if you don't.

Once I fought for the ‘right’ labels the final NHS psychiatrist I went to see noted this - that my response to trauma was natural and I didn’t have EUPD.

I actually have ADHD so do have unstable emotions but these are now managed very successfully by ADHD meds. If only this has been picked up in the ten years of being under an NHS psychiatrist rather than having to go private.

@HMG107
I am so glad you were able to get a more appropriate diagnosis in the end, although this doesn't make up for the 10 years or so of being mislabelled, which in itself can be traumatising. I know many women who are diagnosed with BPD/EUPD are made to feel "broken" which is just so wrong.

Women's reaction to trauma isn't well-understood or well-treated wholesale. Women are supposed to be 'proper' victims, demure, scared, trembling flowers. If they deviate into being angry, loud, manipulative (because it's a source of power), passive aggressive (ditto) or difficult it's treated very harshly.

A man punching a wall is treated with more understanding than a woman shouting IME.

I don’t know much about it - I’ve learnt a few things from just reading this thread. Thank for starting this - it’s helped me understand more

I agree OP- wouldn't it be better if people with BPD/EUPD, with a history of trauma were instead diagnosed with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

People with BPD/EUPD without a history of trauma are more likely to have misdiagnosed ASD or ADHD, as there is some overlap.

I don't have EUPD but I'm sure that I could be diagnosed with it under the care of the wrong Psychiatrist. I have ADHD and since early childhood have had great difficulty controlling my emotions. I had some trauma (non-abusive) in childhood, which added to my emotion lability but it is mostly caused by difficulties with my executive functions caused by ADHD.

I struggle with life because of my ADHD (and severe OCD) but have received a lot of Psychological support and would hate to be diagnosed with EUPD and then told that I was too complex to treat (as it the case for many BPD/EUPD sufferers).

Have you tried DBT at all? I've no experience of it - is it useful?

Dr Jessica Taylor has written a book on this - coming out in March
'Sexy But Psycho'

Lifted from the blurb
'Utilising decades of research, real case studies and new data from her own work, Dr Taylor's book will critically analyse the way we label women with personality disorders. Why are women and girls pathologized for being angry about oppression and abuse? How have so many women been duped into believing that they are mentally ill, for having normal and natural reactions to their experiences? Sexy But Psycho argues that there is a specific purpose to convincing women and girls that they are mentally ill, as the world avoids addressing violence against women and their centuries of ignored trauma.'

YADNBU. EUPD is terribly stigmatised sadly mostly by MH professionals. As other PPs have says it's also often misdiagnosed.

YANBU. I worked in mental health and all the women I supported with BPD had experienced awful trauma and had perfectly natural reactions reactions to said trauma, then labelled as BPD or similar and failed by the system.

I think there is a move towards a PTSD diagnosis rather than EUPD or BPD. Trauma informed care rather than victem blaming.

@eloquent

It's very true YANBU. Also, I would suggest any woman diagnosed with eupd/bpd push for autistic assesment, as autistic women are often misdiagnosed with eupd/bpd.

I was going to say exactly this.

I know several women who were originally diagnosed as having BPD who now have an autism diagnosis.

I'm suspicious of any diagnosis given largely to women. Trauma is ignored far too much imo. Years ago I worked for a while in acute mental health. Most of our patients were there due to childhood trauma yet it was ignored
My DC hits most of the ACE points and will be high risk of PD diagnosis but I guarantee they will ignore that. They know which children are going to have mental health issues in adulthood yet there is no support to try to prevent that

@eloquent

It's very true YANBU. Also, I would suggest any woman diagnosed with eupd/bpd push for autistic assesment, as autistic women are often misdiagnosed with eupd/bpd.

That's interesting.

I have two nieces, both young adults now. One has an EUPD diagnosis, the other has Aspergers. They have 2 half-siblings, one of whom also has an EUPD diagnosis, the other - Aspergers.

My mother is diagnosed with BPD previously diagnosed with Manic Depression. She suffered childhood trauma and every single professional only offered medication as a solution. Many of her medications have interactions with each other which are poorly documented. These cause physical symptoms which required more medication. She has recently been in hospital for 4 months and without consultation with her psychiatrist, was taken off her ‘mood stabilizer’ and she is more stable that I have known her in 20 years. Many times, she has tried to stop her medication as she doesn’t like how she is in them and the only answer is to go back on them but it is only when she is off them she can really speak her mind. Yes she is angry when she does ... but she has every right to be... she has spent her entire life being silenced. She wants someone to take action, to tell her she is believed and to help her to heal or at least to learn to live with it but the only answer is to go back on the medication, get stable and then see how she feels.. so she does, goes back... she is stable.. so nothing more is done.

She is not perfect but I have very little respect for the psychiatrists that have treated her.

@FlibbertyGiblets

I am sorry you felt you were met with unkindness previously.

I didn't know that EUPD/BPD is curable, that is really good news.

I’m not sure if this is your intention, but saying ‘I’m sorry you felt…’ is massively patronising and not at all helpful. What you’re really saying there is ‘you felt bad, but that’s not the fault of the people who were unkind’. Do better.