Q. I was diagnosed with BPD almost 4 years ago, and when I actually saw the diagnose for myself, I was devastated. I didn't want to be know as a borderline. I had previously worked in the mental health field for 7 years prior to this diagnose, and yes I would always hear the nurses and other staff members criticize the borderline patient and often if they came in with that diagnose. They were ignored or pushed to the side, not given proper treatment. I always felt like this horrible behavior was my fault, but couldn't seem to turn it around.
My question: Why do Mental Health Professionals view borderline personality disorder so differently than any other disorder? Why are we made to feel so ashamed of our selves?
A. It shouldn't be. I think there are two major reasons for the problem:
1) most view the disorder as essentially untreatable
2) during training, especially in psych hospitals, the worst borderlines - particularly those with character disorders - established their view of what constituted the borderline disorder.
Regarding feeling ashamed: Eleanor Roosevelt once said that no one can make you feel inferior unless you are a willing participant. One of the most difficult tasks I face is getting a borderline to understand they have a brain malfunction that he/she neither asked for nor caused, and they have to forgive themselves for everything the illness has caused. When the individual genuinely understands this and then learns to like and love oneself, it doesn't matter what others think.