Borderline Personality Disorder Related Content

Noal’s Story: Finding a Stigma-Free Setting Made a World of Difference

Noal has felt stigma around mental health and the pressure to fit in since childhood. Growing up in the Mormon church, there was an expectation to be the “perfect Mormon boy” with no room for deviation. Noal was young when he realized he was gay, and he quickly learned how to mask who he was and...

Natalie’s Story: This Happened to Me, and It Shapes Me

Natalie has worked as a counselor at both a treatment program for depression and an adolescent OCD program. However, Natalie did not enter the health care field untouched by the systems she now works within. Like many working in mental health, she carries her own experiences with depression, anxiety...

Aza’s Story: You Must Define Who You Are

To discover who you truly are, you must define who you are and more importantly, who you are not. Now a fierce mental health and recovery reform advocate, Aza’s journey to find a sense of identity and belonging began in childhood. I was never told to just be myself growing up. I always felt that I...

Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder: A Complete Guide

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex condition. It affects how a person feels about themselves and others. BPD is characterized by intense, unstable emotions and relationships as well as insecurity and self-doubt. BPD makes everything about a person feel unstable, ranging from moods...

Video: Addressing Borderline Personality Disorder in Adolescents

Wendy P. Bamatter, PhD, offers clear, compassionate guidance on recognizing borderline personality disorder in adolescents and supporting teens experiencing emotional dysregulation across home, school, and clinical settings. Why This Training Matters Adolescents with BPD are often misunderstood at a...

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): A Complete Guide

Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is one of the most common treatment options for certain mental health conditions. Originally used to address borderline personality disorder (BPD), now DBT is also used to treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bulimia, and substance addiction...

Mentalization-Based Treatment: Understanding Yourself and Others

Mentalization-based treatment (MBT) has been proven to be beneficial in the management of borderline personality disorder (BPD). MBT encourages an individual to focus on how their mental states affect their own behavior, as well as the behavior of others. MBT is a form of therapy that does not...

Transference-Focused Psychotherapy: A Deep Dive

People living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often struggle with self-image, emotional stability, and relationships with others. Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) treats BPD by concentrating on the relationship between the therapist and patient. Transference refers to feelings a...

Video: Borderline Personality Disorder – Diagnostics and Treatment

Karen L. Jacob, PhD, explores how clinicians can diagnose and treat borderline personality disorder with accuracy, compassion, and clarity. Why This Training Matters Few conditions are as stigmatized or misunderstood as BPD. Yet with proper diagnosis and treatment, recovery is not only possible—it’s...

Shoshana’s Story: Don’t Miss Out On Your Life

Facing the prospect of getting intensive treatment for anorexia in a residential program—where she would be supervised around the clock—petrified Shoshana. I was terrified of the lack of control—like someone taking away something that I thought was helping me. Shoshana came to realize that treatment...

Finn’s Story: Resiliency Is Doing the Hard Things

As someone with intersecting identities, Finn has faced many challenges. I feel like the wall is so high already because I am trans, but then you add that I’m also Indigenous, that I have mental health conditions, that I’m disabled—all of these things are stacking up against me. Finn grew up in an...

Tami’s Story: Mental Health Conditions Don’t Define Who You Are

Tami once believed her past trauma disqualified her from helping others heal, but that thought could not have been further from the truth. From the ages of 4 to 14, Tami endured abuse from a family member. Tami recalls her younger self as “a wild spirit” and “incredibly lost.” In adulthood, Tami...

Video: Decoding Distress – BPD, PTSD, and the Fine Line Between

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are two very distinct mental health conditions—each marked by specific diagnostic criteria and treatment approaches. But BPD and PTSD symptoms often overlap, and it’s not uncommon for someone to struggle with both...

Purpose, Structure, and Self-Worth: How Work Can Boost Mental Health

For those who have experienced life-altering events or diagnoses, getting a job may be the last thing on their mind. They may consider it out of the question altogether. But it turns out that working has significantly more value than a paycheck alone. Karen L. Jacob, PhD, psychologist and borderline...