Borderline Personality Disorder

Another misunderstood mental illness is borderline personality disorder, or BPD, a grueling mental condition characterized by intense mood swings, an unstable personality, and an unsure sense of self.  Most mental health professionals agree that BPD is one of the hardest mental illnesses to treat and one of the most complex to understand. 

The acute mood swings caused by borderline personality disorder are not only unpredictable, but uncontrollable.  Those close to someone who suffers from BPD can be quick to disassociate from that person or treat them in a harsh and overly critical way.  BPD can be so drastic that those who suffer from it are closed off from much of society, including mental health professionals, and treated as pariahs.

Schizophrenia and BPD are two of the most stigmatized mental disorders.  Many who are tormented by these illnesses are treated malevolently and outcast from society.  In a time when mental health has become such a priority in our world, it’s disappointing and discouraging that such hellish mental illnesses have become so commonly stigmatized by the uninformed and uneducated.

As previously mentioned, the two largest mental health conditions, anxiety and depression, are receiving the attention and awareness they deserve.  However, other common mental illnesses are stigmatized in a subtle way.