I am a 28 year old female diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder with severe dissociative symptoms. Despite being high-functioning, I have been hospitalized three times in locked psychiatric units. In addition to other applicable diagnoses, I have been misdiagnosed with Schizophrenia and subsequently spent months as a living zombie due to incorrect medication.
I wanted to do this AMA in hopes that I can shed a little bit of light on the stigma associated with Borderline and how real life with the disorder differs from the sensationalized depictions described online or in media. It is so upsetting to see that online advice for someone concerned about dating someone with Borderline is simply: RUN. RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN. Society's caricature of the disorder make it easy to feel ashamed and isolate yourself.
I'm happy to answer any question at all. Thanks!
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[–] foxyface [S] 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
I did DBT in my IOPs. I found it very helpful and highly suggest it to anyone and everyone! While I do love DBT, I found that it didn't really get to the root of why the disorder came about. Borderline typically develops due to some kind of extreme trauma [emotional/psychological/physical] and I am now doing Transfocused Psychotherapy that really breaks down patterns and figuring out where/why they started.
I never really thought about what it would be like to experience emotions more traditionally. I guess I don't even really know what that would be like because I have always had my extreme perceptions. One upside to being so emotionally sensitive is that I have very good emotional intuition when it comes to others and am really good at giving gifts, writing moving messages in cards, and giving pep talks. I don't think I would want to change how I experience emotions because even though it can be so brutal at times, it definitely is a big part of who I am. :)