Is it possible to recover completely from BPD?

[HelloDeer]

After 20+ years of having anxiety and depression it's finally been suggested that I may have borderline personality disorder, probably caused by abuse in my childhood by my parents.

Has anyone else been diagnosed with this after being diagnosed with depression/anxiety and also is it possible to recover totally from it?

story of my life! I was fighting the gp and health care people for years to be diagnosed. they spent years putting all my odd behaviour, habits, moods and anger down to anxiety and depression. over and over I said to them its not your average depression theres something else.
after nearly 3yrs i finally got through and was diagnosed with BPD about 4yrs ago. i was told it was something i had to manage with pills and therapy although counselling and cbt haven't helped me. pills don't make much difference so im still struggling.

I have just today been diagnosed with BPD although they call it emotional intensity disorder now. I too have been treated for depression and anxiety for years with no success but after a mental health crisis last week when my partner walked out I was picked up by mental health services and am finally receiving some help.
BPD cannot be cured because it manifests in many different symptoms and some co-morbidity's can be treated by medication such as anxiety and depression, and other symptoms can be helped by psychological therapy.
Today my psychiatrist taught me 'combat breathing' for when I feel overwhelmed by my emotions.
I am also going to start a therapy group for people with emotional disorders but the waiting list is long.
He has taken me off of fluoxetine which I was taking for depression and has prescribed pregabalin to stabilise my mood.
He has also suggested some holistic treatments such as dietary changes and a supplement called 5htp which is bought over the counter and works on your serotonin levels.
I guess what I'm saying is that although we will always have BPD/EID we can learn ways to manage it so it does not impact our lives in a negative way.
I have lost my relationship because he couldn't cope with my moods. I understand I was hell to live with but at least now I understand myself better and can see that there is a better way to live.
Good luck, don't give up

I really do believe it can be cured, I believe bpd is a trauma reaction. I'll be honest and say I haven't personally experienced bPD but have friends who have and also work professionally with clients with BPD many of whom have recovered

If you struggle with self harm or impulsivity start by asking for DBT. Then move onto other therapy, not CBT it's really not the treatment for such a complex trauma (and it's not recommend in nice guidance either, may well be worth googling nice guidance for BPD so you know what's recommended)

Very best wishes to you

I just wanted to say I was diagnosed 5 years ago now and although it has been an immense struggle which included inpatient treatment I know I am so much stronger now and have a hold of myself.

My biggest advice to you all, understand what your triggers are and do all that you can to avoid them and when you can't avoid them (my triggers are mostly centred around everyday events) use distraction techniques. It was hit and miss discovering what worked to distract me and sometimes not all work but there is always something :)

I don't take medication or have any therapies anymore as I have taught myself how to overcome my battles when in a crisis, they do still happen but nothing like before.

Good luck to you all and please don't let your diagnosis define you

I would say I'm not "full blown" anymore and wouldn't meet the diagnostic criteria but certainly do and will always have, significant traits that impact on my quality of life. I hate it passionately, which isn't surprising seeing as I am emotionally unstable ;)

Oh I'm so glad I'm not alone!

I received a BPD diagnosis last week, after seeing multiple psychiatrists & counsellors for the past 10 years. I always thought that it was depression and anxiety, recently worsened by life and relationship issues.

Now it all makes sense. All those years I knew deep down there was something wrong beyond the depression, and looking back I can see how "borderline" a lot of my behaviour has been since the age of about 12 (I'm now 40). So partly I'm relieved to know what the story is, and partly I'm in mourning for who I thought I was (or didn't, as is the way with BPD!). It's like i now can't trust my memories, or my emotions, or the way I read other people. And I'm 40, FFS! Why didn't I know this 20 years ago??

Luckily I have stumbled upon an excellent psychiatrist and got myself on the list for DBT. I think years ago it was seen as hopelessly hard to treat, but now it's been shown how effective therapy can be. So I'm trying my best to remain hopeful!

I work on an inpatient psychiatric ward so it was an eye-opener to be on the other side of things. I hope it will allow me to be a better nurse and empathise with my patients. (although we rarely get anyone in with diagnosed PD/BPD)

I'm glad of this diagnosis, I used to think I was 'mad' or 'stupid' due to some of my emotional outbursts. I've been called 'dramatic' so many times by my family, especially my mum. I used to think I was 'unhinged'.

It helps to know that actually, I do have a recognised disorder because that means I can now get the help I need to not allow my strong emotions to overwhelm me.

I had a difficult childhood, sexually abused by a baby sitter which my parents never involved the police. My cousins were sexually abused leading to my parents temporarily fostering them. My Nan was an alcoholic and my sister and I were often sent round hers to sleep as my parents did shifts. She'd get so shit-faced she scared us, she'd be screaming and crying, one of us would have to sleep in her bed with her whilst the other one slept on the floor. We'd argue over who had to sleep in her bed because she would wet herself in the night and you'd wake up covered in urine. In the day she was a totally different person, a nice Nanny, but in the night once she got the sherry out...my God you knew it!

6 weeks after she died my lovely Father died of pancreatic cancer. It was so quick. One minute he was ok, 6 weeks later he was dead. At his funeral his sister had a breakdown and accused my Grandad (Dad's Dad) of sexually abusing them as children. Sadly this turned out to be true so we never saw Dad's parents again because Mum was understandably angry and it would have meant social services involvment. As far as I can remember he never touched me or my sister though.

After all this trauma my Mum became an alcoholic and basically left me and my sister to bring ourselves up.

Understandably as a teenager I was wild! At 13 I was going out with a 24 year old man, so I guess I was sexually abused by him too although it didn't feel like it at the time.

The psychiatrist got all of this out of me, and more, but said this explains my current state of mind. I have chronic trust and abandonment issues and sadly my partner of 6 years can no longer cope with it all.

Don't get me wrong, I am high functioning, I am a mother, I have a good job, the BPD only manifests in my relationships due to my jealousy and fear of abandonment.

The funny thing is I hardly ever think about my past, I always think 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' but I guess my past has been slowly creeping up on me asking to be resolved.

WE MUST THINK POSITIVE!!

Sorry for over-sharing but it really helps, I don't share half of this stuff with people in real life!!

After 20+ years of battling depression and anxiety but never really getting well I recently had an assessment for BPD/EUPD/EID and was referred onto the STEPPS program. Unfortunately I moved areas so thought I had to start back at the beginning. Last week I hit crisis point and saw the MH team in my new area today.

I've never felt comfortable using the term BPD etc for myself as I don't think I've 'earned' it without a formal diagnosis. But every thing I read about it makes sense to me. I went through a very traumatic time when my parents divorced in my teens and I'm sure this triggered it.

I'm taking mirtazipine and venlafaxine at the moment. And the MH team are going to get me on the next STEPPS program, and arrange for me to see a consultant to hopefully aid with a diagnosis. For me, labels are important even though I know it doesn't change who I fundamentally am.

Unfortunately I have a social worker coming in this week as I'm a single parent with 2 small boys but I keep telling myself I've nothing to worry about.

Hmm I'm 2 months post diagnosis been having treatment for 25 years...

I think it will be a case of managing it. I don't think I'll be cured because there just isn't the funding for treatment where I live!