BPD-Borderline Personality Disorder

A person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day. These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse. Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values. Sometimes people with BPD view themselves as fundamentally bad, or unworthy. They may feel unfairly misunderstood or mistreated, bored, empty, and have little idea who they are. Such symptoms are most acute when people with BPD feel isolated and lacking in social support, and may result in frantic efforts to avoid being alone.

People with BPD often have highly unstable patterns of social relationships. While they can develop intense but stormy attachments, their attitudes towards family, friends, and loved ones may suddenly shift from idealization (great admiration and love) to devaluation (intense anger and dislike). Thus, they may form an immediate attachment and idealize the other person, but when a slight separation or conflict occurs, they switch unexpectedly to the other extreme and angrily accuse the other person of not caring for them at all. Even with family members, individuals with BPD are highly sensitive to rejection, reacting with anger and distress to such mild separations as a vacation, a business trip, or a sudden change in plans. These fears of abandonment seem to be related to difficulties feeling emotionally connected to important persons when they are physically absent, leaving the individual with BPD feeling lost and perhaps worthless. Suicide threats and attempts may occur along with anger at perceived abandonment and disappointments.

People with BPD exhibit other impulsive behaviors, such as excessive spending, binge eating and risky sex. BPD often occurs together with other psychiatric problems, particularly bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and other personality disorders.

This Support Group is a new addition to MDJunction.com which is a free center
for online support groups. They have many groups who serve thousands of people everyday.

We hope that the group will serve as a meeting place, a home for people who want to share their feelings, info, ask questions and just be around people who are dealing with the same challenges as they are. Those people understand you best.

Please visit at: MDJunction-BPD on-line Support Group

Why are the colors for BPD Awareness Month Black and White....
My friend explained to me: "About the black and white colors. They say that those of us that have this disorder have what they call black and white thinking. Something is either really good or really bad and there is almost never an in between which would be what you call grey. The training and skills group we have tries to help us to learn how to come into that area of thinking as well as other skills."

I feel this is very important!

By a vote of 417-0, the House of Representatives on April 1, 2008 passed H.Res. 1005, urging recognition of Borderline Personality Disorder thus making May BPD Awareness Month!

Herbal Remedies:

These herbs can be purchased from my web page:
WihteOak's eCrater

These are some herbs I have during my research from people who suffer with BPD and choose to use a more natural approach instead of using prescriptions. All of this information is to be viewed as educational, and not confused with medical advise.

Angelica Root-Respiratory, sedative, digestion, sinus

Basil: alcoholism, anasarca, ardor, asthma, cancer (stomach), cholera, collapse, constipation, convulsions, cough, cramps, croup, deafness, delirium, depression, diarrhea.

BeeBalm: anxiety, catarrh, common cold, depression, flatulence, gastro-intestinal disturbances, heart ailments, insomnia, pain, sore throat

Catnip-Insomnia, sedative, mild nerve stimulant

Chamomile-Relasxing, calming nerves, sleep, skin tonic

Gotu Kola-Nervous conditions, leg circulation, depression

Lavender-Relaxant, gas, insomnia, nervousness

Mugwort-Rheumatism,constipation, nervine, anxiety, good source of Vit. C
**Do not take in large doses and should not be taken by pregnant women.

Passion Flower: Insomnia, nervousness, menstrual pain

Schisandra: used in Chinese medicine for conditions such as insomnia, hepatitis and allergic skin reactions. Schizandra has no adverse side effects and actually has a positive cumulative effect. Schizandra has the ability to stimulate gastro-intestinal tract, central nervous system, liver, kidneys and adrenals, lungs, and immune system.

Valerian Root: nerve disorders, circulatory problems, sedative effect

Vetivert: Reduces stress, tension, healing to the skin, repels insects

This is a special piece written by: Cindy who has BPD
I am Cindy. I am 38 years old and I suffer daily from Borderline Personality Disorder. This is something I have lived with as long and as far back as my memory goes. I cannot explain to anyone that does not live with it just how horribly it can effect your life and those who share in your life. It is like a huge wrecking ball blasting through every aspect of your life on a daily basis and leaving you to pick up the pieces over and over again.

Those of us that live with this disorder are the true meaning of survivor. One of the things I have found so very frustrating along the way is how the mental health industry really on so many instances do not really care to deal with borderlines as many feel there is so little that can be done for us and to make matters worse insurance companies often times will not want to pay for the needed care of a borderline as it has an axis 2 level on the DSM manual and it requires a great deal more care than insurance companies are willing to pay.

If you have BPD and you go in for help please know that there is a great deal of work you must be willing to do in order to get yourself a little more able to deal with life. I am in intense psychotherapy 1 time per week and DBT group therapy 1 time a week right now and I can see a difference in how I am responding to things that trigger my emotions.

I will be the first to admit that there are still times that I do not care to try the skills I am being trained as I am just so all consumed in the rage or the intense sadness or sometimes I am just so lost that there is just no reaching me but I am happy to say that in all, I do feel a little more comfortable with myself and who I am as I am able to identify the emotions and feel them coming on before they consume me on many occasions.

I highly recommend DBT Therapy for anyone that has BPD as this is one of the most promising things out there for you and our beloved Marsha Linehan created this just for us and so much research has proven that there is success in learning and mastering it. Please know there will be days that things are so bad that you feel that going to another therapy session or another DBT group session is just a lost cause but know that is just your emotions controlling your thoughts and that is what BPD does to you......Right???

I do not really know what else to say as I am not a writer but do seek some mental help and look for a place that specializes in the type of care that is required in treating someone with Borderline Personality Disorder. Make sure they also have a way to get you access to DBT Therapy. Also if you are going through therapy and DBT please understand that in therapy it will always have the times along the way where you will get worse before getting better as your reaching the core matter of what has created the person your trying to treat. Never give up and keep going as long as it takes for you to get better as this is hope for you!

I will point out also that I found a great place here (in the South) to get my therapy and DBT therapy group. In the clinic they have an area just for BPD care and they stay up on all of the newest things coming out for helping those of us with BPD.

Stay proactive in getting yourself or your loved one the care that they so badly need and if it means making allot of noise to get what is needed then do it! One thing to keep in mind also and this is something I have learned along the way in finding the right care for myself is that not all places that offer care for borderlines is created equally. I was attending DBT therapy groups at one place and could not stand the way it was being run; so it steered me away from continuing my care for over a year. I put myself back into the getting myself care mode and found the wonderful place I go to now and it has so far been so much worth the effort. So please be very selective in your choice!

I am here to offer my support and encouragement. If you have questions or need some encouragement then I am here to offer that but please know up front I am not a professional in this field but rather just a survivor that is fighting the big fight to get better.

With Love, Blessings And Encouragement,
Cindy-----I Have BPD But BPD Does Not Have Me!

Borderline Personality Disorder
Support for the Family and Relationship Partners

This is a group that just sent me their information so I could post it in here. The web site is: www.bpdfamily.com/index.html

They just recently finished a video and the link to the video is: www.bpdfamily.com/tools/articles2a.htm

I will admit that there are many wonderful, informative sites out there to help others who have BPD. This site truly impressed me. It is very informative, the video is great (not to mention WONDERFUL music) but most important it can help many of you find help for your spouse during a time they need it most.

With all of my heart thank you again Staff@BPDFamily for providing this information to our group.

Alkoxyrol This is a new lens submitted by: Richard30. Since I was not familiar with this product, I asked him a question and he replied, which is posted below:

WhiteOak: I was wondering if you could explain to me how this product is related to BPD?

Richard30: Hi there WhiteOak50, to your question; it depends on the type of BPD, though it is caused by many things......for the type caused by "the abuse of drugs" then the ALKOXYROL product would be excellent due to its high antioxidant contents of shark liver oil, which is known to purify by riding the body of toxins and impurities. I'll do further research on other types and the benefit of my product for you. I hope this information is helpful and feel free to ask any further questions.

This is his web page address: Parc Distributors

**Remember** Always research and speak to your medical doctor before taking anything with your prescribed medication.