Top 3 Reasons to Be Hopeful About Recovering From BPD

1.) People are getting better.

There is evidence around you that people recover. I recently posted this video about how I no longer meet the criteria for a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. I thought I would suffer the rest of my life from the symptoms of BPD, and I am so relieved that this is not the case. In fact, through hard work and learning new skills, specifically Dialectical Behavior Therapy, I, and others, such as Amanda Smith, who founded My Dialectical Life, a service that provides daily DBT tips via email, and Teresa Lynne of Essence Happens Mental Health & Emotion Management, who now specializes in helping those with BPD and their loved ones, are in recovery. You can do it, too.

2.) Perceptions among psychiatric professionals are shifting.

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Though there is still stigma out there within the medical community, there are therapists like Amparo Penny, who offers online therapy, and Alicia Paz, with whom I run an online DBT group, who choose to specifically work with the “borderline population.” They have hearts that want to help us awaken our inner ability to heal and recover. They are not alone. There are also incredible programs out there such as OPI Living and the Roanne Program, which specialize in helping young adults with emotion regulation disorders. Their motto is: “We treat the WHOLE person, not just the diagnosis.”

3.) A major stigma smack-down is taking place.

There is an uprising of positive efforts to bring awareness to what Borderline Personality Disorder is and what it is not. More and more sufferers of this condition are coming forward and shedding their shells of shame to bring hope and encouragement to others. One such person is NFL Chicago Bear’s Brandon Marshall, a three time Pro-Bowler who has made his journey of coming to terms with and overcoming BPD quite public. He started a foundation called Project Borderline, a nonprofit organization devoted to raising awareness for BPD and helping others gain access to the resources they need to recover. Brandon also has a forthcoming documentary called “Borderline Beast,” in which he shares his very personal experience with the disorder and his mission to get and stay well.

Borderline Personality Disorder is no longer the psychiatric “death sentence” diagnosis. We can and do get better. There are reasons to have hope!

Thanks for reading.

More Soon.

P.S. Further Encouragement: Just days ago, The Minister of Mental Health and Aging in Australia, Mark Butler, was quoted in a media release as saying that “treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder is effective and people can recover and lead fulfilling lives.”