The condition might turn the world of the victim into a living hell, but with proper medication, it can be managed.
Anne is 27 years old. She lives with her parents and siblings, two brothers and a sister. About ten years ago, Anne was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
When she learned of her condition, she embarked on a mission to learn everything there is to know about the mental illness. Although she felt out of sync with the world, she was excited and relieved because the symptoms she’d experienced since she was a teenager finally had an explanation.
Anne would then embark on another journey to seek treatment. She talked to psychiatrists, tried therapy, and various medications. She was not sure how much money and time her search for a cure would take, but she was determined to do everything to get better.
While where she lives is a great town with a fantastic community, mental health services aren’t that great. Mental health is underfunded, and the city lacks enough psychiatrists and social workers. As a result, Anne had access to only a handful of psychiatrists who were always overworked and could not provide the help she desperately needed.
Regardless of her efforts to get medical help, she still struggled with a borderline personality disorder for many years. She became very good at faking smiles and acting as if everything was well. Other than her immediate family members, people didn’t know she was actually suffering. Most people, especially her coworkers thought of her as the moody woman with crazy mood swings, but it was much more than that. She was battling with a lot inside her mind and was always in a lot of emotional pain.
People who have no experience with mental illnesses cannot comprehend the amount of physical pain and emotional baggage mentally ill people go through. Suicidal thoughts crossed Anne’s mind all the time. She felt like she’d had enough of life, and was willing to die. She saw herself as ‘too much’ to her family and those close to her and believed she was doing everyone a favour by committing suicide. She tried to kill herself twice and was hospitalised a couple of times. She did drugs, abused alcohol, hurt herself, and engaged in a bunch of other unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Anne’s condition was at its worst during her college years. Every day was a struggle for her. She developed an eating disorder, her hair became thin, lost weight, and she’d black out all the time because she was acutely malnourished. She’d go through periods of elevated moods and high energies to periods of low energies and lack of motivation. When she was in a good mood, she’d go to the gym, purge, and watch her calories. When her mood was low, all Anne wanted to do was to lay in bed all the time and eat whatever was available.
At some point, Anne had to quit college for a year to concentrate on getting better. Two years ago, she resumed college, managed to get her grades back on track, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Sociology. Last year, Anne hit rock bottom again. She was under constant pressure; work was stressful, and she was not receiving proper treatment.
Her psychiatrist adjusted her medications and recommended Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. She’s found a decent therapist whom she sees twice every week. She’s feeling much better now, and her condition is slowly stabilising.
While Anne is not where she’d want to be yet, she’s happy she’s finally on the right track to managing her mental condition. She’s also confident that she will achieve her goal of building a successful career in her industry and become a valuable member of society.
Final Words
While borderline personality disorder is a rampant mental condition in the modern-day society, not many people understand it. It doesn’t help that those battling with the disorder would rather keep it to themselves than seek help. The truth is, while the condition might turn the world of the victim into a living hell, with proper medication, it can be managed. To increase the chances of bringing borderline personality disorder under control, people should seek medication immediately they start to experience the symptoms.
