Rinoachicken and Tinklypoo both make very, very valid points. The outcome of a BPD diagnosis, for the most part, is in the hands of the sufferer. I developed it as a result of trauma, and as I said upthread, was misdiagnosed as bipolar type 1 for many years. The BPD diagnosis came a couple of months ago thanks to a brilliant psychiatrist who's observed me during various severe crisis situations - and periods of relative wellness - for the past 4 years. A decent amount of time.
It's a rubbish diagnosis that I rarely discuss outside the confines of an anonymous forum, but for me, it's given me a kind of hope that I'd never had previously. With the bipolar diagnosis, I felt doomed for life. I honestly believed I'd never be able to change anything, I turned to alcohol abuse in order to cope (which nearly cost me everything), and I couldn't make head nor tail of my completely irrational and extreme emotional responses.
The BPD diagnosis made me realise that the majority of my recovery was in my hands. Being able to identify the responses and traits that are abnormal has helped me immensely, and the need for control that so many BPD sufferers have has been my most helpful tool, as I now turn that desire for control into something constructive and use it to modify and process my more extreme behaviours.
Yes, my BPD was a response to ongoing trauma, same as many others on here. What it ISN'T, and never will be, is an excuse to perpetuate shitty attitudes and abuse towards others as an outlet for the damage caused by that trauma. Unlike bipolar disorder, BPD is something I CAN change the outcome of, and I'm fully committed to doing so. Yes, it's exhausting - relearning new behaviours until they become second nature is a long process, but with determination and accepting the help it takes to make those changes, it CAN be done.