Borderline personality disorder (BPD) not only affects the person who has it, but also the people living with them. People with BPD have difficulty regulating their emotions and behaviour and that can cause a lot of problems for those around them. Fortunately, living with someone with borderline personality disorder means you can help them (and…
Dialectical behavior therapy and psychodynamic treatment approaches in borderline personality disorders (BPDs) are effective in improving patient symptoms and co-morbidities, however the effects may be small. Those are the findings of a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry. A systemic review of 33 randomized clinical trials, including 2,256 participants, was conducted by a group of international…
Borderline personality disorder is a complex and still largely misunderstood condition. Dealing with its myriad of ups and downs is a complicated and sensitive matter for those afflicted and the people close to them. Fortunately, there are ways to live with borderline personality disorder, whether you suffer personally or know someone who does. If You…
When I was 18, a psychiatrist kicked me out of her office in my hometown of Montreal. A framed Sigmund Freud witnessed my humiliation. I’d raised my voice, confessing that I’d scratched up my arm again because I was “fucking sad.” My psychiatrist told me to go to the hospital. She couldn’t help me, she…
graduated from National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), India and migrated to Australia in 1997. Prior to specialising in personality disorders, I have worked in public mental health services in several settings (community and inpatient services, CATT, rehabilitation programs and emergency psychiatry). I was an ECT director for a more than a decade…
Caring about someone who has borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be difficult, particularly when your loved one engages in what clinicians refer to as “splitting.” Splitting is refers to black and white thinking, where the person with BPD can’t see a middle ground or gray area. Everything is either completely positive or completely negative. Identifying…
It can be confusing to decide which way to go when you have an intense emotion. It would be even harder to control your emotions when you have borderline personality disorder (BPD). The most common symptoms of BPD are self-harming behaviors, erratic mood shifts, intense emotional experiences, suicidal thoughts, and problems with impulsive behaviors. All…
On April 28, the world of DIY publishing will get a stellar new addition with Do What You Want, a one-off U.K. zine about mental health and wellbeing. It’s the work of author and food writer Ruby Tandoh, who’s edited the publication with her long-term partner Leah Pritchard. Contributors include actress Mara Wilson, Tejal Rao…
Mental health services are supposed to help. But sometimes psychiatric professionals cause damage by denting the credibility of individuals, a legacy which can last a lifetime. This is a particular problem for women who have experienced trauma, and get placed into what many see as the dustbin diagnosis of ‘Borderline Personality Disorder’. The relatively new…
When someone has anxiety, depression, or another form of mental health condition, symptoms are usually present day in and day out for weeks, months, or years. People with borderline personality disorder (BPD), however, may have strong emotional episodes that last only hours at a time, flaring up time and again. And this serious psychiatric…