I strongly suspect that this thread was started as a result of someone watching the recently screened second series of "the Jury, Murder Trial". It is not an accurate portrayal of most people with BPD, however I knew as soon as I saw the episode that there would be an influx of this sort of media discussion.
To anyone with a BPD diagnosis who is reading this thread, I am so sorry you have to read this bullshit. Please know that not everyone believes it *
I have reported this thread.
Comments made so far:
"They deserve the reputation to protect other people."
" people with BPD are abusive"
"all the usual BPD bullshit threatening suicide and all the rest"
"Run for the hills"
"Manipulating, lying, playing people off'
"Can't hold down jobs because of their nastiness"
I have reported this thread.
For clarity. I work in mental health services. Some of the people I work with have diagnoses of BPD and suffer from the type of prejudice and stigma evidenced in the above comments. It needs to stop.
In summary:
BPD / EUPD is a highly controversial name for a highly controversial diagnosis that is given to people who experience things like a fear of abandonment, unstable relationships, extreme emotional turbulence and disconnection.
To the person saying it is not a mental illness, You may want to educate yourself:
www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/borderline-personality-disorder-bpd/about-bpd/
It is a controversial diagnosis because
(a)It lacks scientific reliability and validity:The current diagnostic criteria allow for 256 different combinations of symptoms that could lead to a diagnosis.
(B) It carries incredible stigma, as evidenced by some of the ill-informed comments in this thread.
It is disproportionately slapped on young women who have experienced severe childhood abuse and trauma,
Women account for 70% of patients
Many of these women later go on to receive autism diagnoses. It's all very well saying "they are very different conditions" - but in reality, the overlap is sufficient that many people, particularly women, are misdiagnosed. Were the above comments made in reference to autistic people, all of Mumsnet would be up in arms - and rightly so.
Here are some comments from Kier Harding and Dr Jay Watts, experts in BPD. Articles can be found via Google, but to summarise using direct quotes:
"attempts to cope with extreme distress and discomfort from sensations that don’t trouble people without a trauma history are completely misunderstood and often judged."
An Australian review of stigma of BPD describes negative beliefs about young people with BPD, including erroneous beliefs about trustworthiness and dangerousness, and that they are ‘bad, not ill’.
The Welsh charity Platform has an archive of awful experiences people with a BPD diagnosis have gone through, but the things I repeatedly hear about are:
1 People having wounds stitched in hospital without anaesthetic,
2 All visits to the GP seen as attention seeking so serious illnesses are missed and pain relief not given
Marsha Linehan is the creator of DBT, the therapy most often prescribed for people with BPD diagnosed. Linehan says:
“I tell my patients if you end up in the Emergency Room for a medical disorder for gods sakes do not tell them you meet criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder. Do not tell anybody. You’ll be treated differently"
65 clinicians were asked to watch a video of a woman presenting with 'panic disorder'. They then had to rate her presenting problems and prognosis. A third were just given her presenting problems, a third were given this plus a description consistent with 'BPD' and a further third that and the label 'BPD'. Those who were told the woman had a 'BPD' label were significantly more likely not just to give the woman a poor prognosis, but to actually describe the panic shown in the video in worse terms."
In essence, inaccurate and harmful stereotypes of BPD serve to maintain the stigma attached to BPD diagnosis. It needs to stop. Thread has been reported.