Download PDF The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide by Alexander L. Chapman

Sinopsis

People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) struggle with their emotions, their behaviors, and their sense of identity, as well as their relationships with other people. Because they are in such emotional turmoil, they often resort to coping strategies that seem to work in the moment but actually make their problems worse (such as suicide attempts, self-harm, or drug use). Indeed, people with BPD sometimes careen through life as if they’re driving a 350-horsepower car with no brakes. They often act on the spur of the moment without thinking things through carefully. As a result, their relationships and responsibilities may suffer. Emotionally, people with BPD are like burn victims (Linehan 1993a), extremely sensitive to even the slightest hint of an emotion and yet so afraid of their emotions that they seek to do anything and everything they can to avoid them.

BPD has received an explosion of interest lately, both from researchers and the popular media. Researchers are examining what causes BPD, when and how people recover from BPD, the brain areas involved in BPD, and the treatments that help people with BPD lead fulfilling and satisfying lives. In the past couple of years alone, articles in both the New York Times and O, the Oprah Magazine featured Dr. Marsha Linehan’s groundbreaking work on dialectical behavior therapy for BPD (Linehan 1993a). What’s more, popular movies, such as Girl, Interrupted, have featured characters with BPD, and television shows, such as Beverly Hills 90210 and 7th Heaven, have featured characters who injure themselves, a symptom that sometimes occurs in BPD.

You might be asking yourself, “Why is BPD such a hot topic now?” A better question is “What took so long?” People with BPD experience intense emotional pain. They struggle with unrelenting chaos in their relationships with other people; feelings of emptiness, aloneness, and desperation; and a confused sense of who they are and where they are going in life. Indeed, up to 10 percent of people with BPD commit suicide, a rate that is over fifty times that of the general population (Skodol et al. 2002). Yet, despite all of this, many people with BPD do not receive the support they need.

BPD also influences the lives of family members, friends, and caregivers. If a chemist were to concoct a potion that would create stress, concern, and heartbreak among loved ones, this potion would probably look a lot like BPD. It is heartbreaking and scary when someone you love talks about or attempts suicide. Trying to help someone with BPD overcome emotional turmoil is like being dropped into a fighter jet going full speed and not knowing how or where to land it.

The powerful emotions and sensitivity of people with BPD can be exciting and intense. People with BPD can be dramatic and charismatic, and they are often quite caring and understanding. Nevertheless, caring for someone with BPD is like trying to hold onto the sun: the emotional intensity of a person with BPD can singe and char relationships. Further, people with BPD often become swallowed by grief or sadness, leaving the caregiver or family member in the dark about what to do.

Many people with BPD and their loved ones do not know how to understand the difficulties they struggle with on a daily basis, or where to turn for help. Although there is a smattering of information available online, the Internet can be a confusing and treacherous place for someone who is suffering, with misinformation and websites offering dangerous advice (such as those that promote self-harm and eating-disordered behaviors) lurking around every corner.

Where else can someone with BPD go to get useful information? Two sources that contain a lot of information are treatment manuals and research papers. However, these sources can be very difficult to use and understand if you are not a therapist or a researcher, and especially if you don’t have a therapist or someone with expertise to help you.

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