The notion of getting out of bed each day is exhausting before I have even moved a muscle. The thought of having to deal with other people in the world makes me anxious.
I have struggled with my thoughts for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, I would think about suicide before I even knew what suicide was. I never planned my future or said what I wanted to be when I grew up because I didn’t think I would ever get there.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness ( NAMI ), together with the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, today sponsored a congressional briefing on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
Part of my mental illness makes me hear voices. I started to take an antipsychotic to help with my symptoms. The medication helps, but sometimes I still hear the voices. Does this mean the medication is not working anymore?
I live with dissociative identity disorder, once known as multiple personality disorder. My story is one of redemption, courage and inner strength.
While there will always be good days and bad days for me, the stigma against speaking out about mental illness is causing me more harm than the mental illness itself.
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel shame. But I do have evidence that there was once a time when I was shame free. I have a photograph of me as a little baby, smiling with a twinkle in my eye. I look radiant and filled with joy. I have another photo of me at four y...
“How are you feeling?” Think about the last time you asked your teen that question. Most likely, what you were really asking was, “Are you physically sick?” And, if you’re anything like me, you immediately entered “fix it mode” if your kid expressed even the slightest p...
When I was about 13 years old, I told my parents that I didn’t feel right. They thought it was just a phase all teenagers go through.
“The things I struggle with the most are the feelings of abandonment, feeling like people are always mad at me, the self-hatred and self-harm.” says Katie, who lives with Borderline Personality Disorder ( BPD ). You might notice these symptoms are all related to relatio...
As any writer or producer knows, dramatic storytelling often relies on shock value. Perhaps an opening scene requires unpredictable behavior or violence to keep the audience engaged and surprised. However, Hollywood often tells its stories at the expense of accuracy, digni...
I read that BPD was a mess to treat, that most professionals didn’t want to have to see people with BPD and that people with BPD were usually seen as treatment-resistant, difficult, overtly hostile and manipulative. Was that really me?
It was hard to accept my mental health conditions, but I am grateful that all of this happened, because I’m stronger than I have ever been before.
Bit by bit, I peeled away the glue that bound my sense of self with these thoughts. But it took me some time to accept why this all happened to me. It had a name: OCD.
If I say I have depression you know what I’m talking about and you can grasp how I feel. But when I say I have borderline personality disorder I get weird looks and confused faces.
I know I will always be a person living with depression, but more importantly, I am Lauren.
I began my long journey of trying to find psychiatrists, medications and therapy that were right for me. I had no idea how much time, money and effort this would take.
It started when I was 13; unbeknownst to me, I was dealing with depression and anxiety. During seventh grade, I was bullied quite a bit. I can clearly remember one time—a few girls were verbally ganging up on me at a lunch table in the cafeteria. Since I was cornered at th...
My patient, Han, used to dread going home to his parent’s house for the holidays. He found it hard to relax and be himself, and his wife and children also dreaded it. His parents made hurtful remarks, criticizing everything from their outfits to their opinions. The minute Ha...