Resources: Men and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

I already know about the difficulties of experiencing the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder as a woman.  I can only imagine how difficult it must be to be a man with BPD in a culture that undervalues emotional expression from males and often encourages the expression of stereotypical anger, macho-ism, and the suppression of emotions such as sadness and vulnerability.

When we hear about men with regards to Borderline Personality Disorder,  we often hear from husbands, partners, and fathers of woman who suffer from BPD.  It is not too often that we come across men who are talking about their own personal experience of suffering from the disorder.  But that is, thankfully, slowly starting to change.

More and more men are beginning to feel safe coming forward with their own personal struggles with the oppressive symptoms of BPD and are seeking the services that can help in the management of their intense emotions.
There are two men in particular who I credit with helping to pave the way for other courageous men to step up and receive the help that they deeply need and desperately deserve: NFL player Brandon Marshall (Project Borderline) and artist Ben Moroski (This Vicious Minute).

Watch pieces of their stories, here:

TRIGGER WARNING – Contains potentially triggering content.

“This Vicious Minute” by Ben Moroski:


NFL’s Brandon Marshall’s documentary trailer for “The Borderline Monster:”

END TRIGGER WARNING 

As part of my own effort to help bring change to this area I, with therapist Alicia Paz, M.A., LLPC have banded together to offer a DBT Distress Tolerance class exclusively to men via a 100% online format that allows for a supportive, private, encouraging environment. And, you do not need to have BPD or any other diagnosis to attend.

This class was born out of an identified need for a safe, caring place for men who wish to work on emotion regulations issues such as anger, anxiety, or struggling with intense emotions.

If you are a male looking to sign up for this course, you can find out more information on the DBT Path Class page.

For more intensive services, if you are man between the ages of 17-28, the Roanne Program in Southern California offers in-person services to help you overcome emotion regulation issues.

Are you or do you know a man who has BPD or other issues around emotion regulation?  What have been the biggest challenges to seeking and receiving the support and care you need to work through these issues to recovery and healing?

Also, are you (or do you know) a man who has BPD or other emotion regulation issues who has an established blog or vlog who might be interested in auditing a class at DBT Path for review purposes? Contact dbtpath[at]gmail[.]com if so.

More soon,
Debbie


Other Resources:

Article by Dr. Robert Fischer of Optimum Performance Institute, “BPD and Males: Finally We Are Addressing It.

Article by Richard Zwolinksi, LMHC, CASAC & C.R. Zwolinski of Therapy Soup at PsychCentral, an interview with Dr. Fischer on “Men Can Have Borderline Personality Disorder, Too.”

David O’Garr’s personal story of “Life As a Man with BPD.” 

Online DBT classes for men and women at DBT Path.

Know of other resources for men with BPD that should be included in this article? Tweet them to @HealingFromBPD or comment below or at our Facebook Page.

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.