1. "It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negative — whichever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it." — Sylvia Plath
2. "It’s a lot like being inside a burning building and yelling for help, while the fireman outside says 'What are you so upset about? Just climb over the rubble and come on out!'" — Alexander L. Chapman
3. "People with BPD are like people with third-degree burns over 90% of their bodies. Lacking emotional skin, they feel agony at the slightest touch or movement." — Dr. Marsha Linehan
4. "This crack in your façade can be the first glimpse you have had to your real self. Ironically, your newly experienced vulnerability — the feeling that you are now exposed for all the world to see, that are your weaknesses are now visible — is the very thing that can save you.” — Merri Lisa Johnson
5. "You know you’re borderline when you fluctuate between fearing abandonment to encouraging it." — Jaen Wirefly
6. “A borderline personality disorder is essentially a dysregulated limbic system. Feelings are so big that they cannot be contained and everything spills over creating emotional messes that other people end up being victims too.” – Krista Jordan, PhD
7. “BPD has been called a “trash can diagnosis,” meaning that it was originally a catch-all for problems that didn’t fit well within other diagnoses. It has long been pathologized by the mental health community as something inherent to a person’s personality and therefore untreatable. This is not accurate and is harmful to people given that diagnosis and to the people who love them. The reality is that BPD is treatable and research shows that people can recover from BPD with various therapy approaches including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and psychodynamic therapy, though DBT is considered the gold standard treatment for BPD. What breaks my heart is that BPD is maligned and pathologized. In reality, it is something that occurs when someone is highly sensitive and has been exposed to an invalidating or abusive environment. The sensitivity that people with BPD feel can also be a gift that allows them to feel love and joy more deeply than others.” – Linnea Butler, LMFT
8. “Imagine all the strongest emotions you have ever felt in your life: anger, hopelessness, rage, embarrassment, regret, lust, fear… Imagine that most days you feel forced to experience all of those in quick succession. How might one react to this? Dissociation in order to escape? Self-harm to bring about a strong physical stimulus to briefly replace these emotions? Thoughts of suicide? Feelings of worthlessness or wondering “what is wrong with me?” and “why am I not worthy of loving relationships?” Feeling the need to quickly exit relationships before people find out the “real you?” Finding relief and closeness in intense but brief sexual encounters? Rapidly and repeatedly changing identity in order to find a way to escape? This is the heart of BPD and common reactions people suffering from BPD have to everyday situations.” – Dr. Nicolas Sikaczowski
9. “In practical terms, for someone with a relative or loved one with BPD, consistency, and boundaries are key. Boundaries are often vilified because they separate us. The truth is that boundaries keep us safe and give us guidelines for how to live. Setting boundaries with someone who has a lot of fear and reactivity helps them feel safe (even though they might not respond well at first) and outlines how we expect to be treated in that relationship. If you can be clear and kind, and hold those boundaries consistently, then there is hope.” – Aleya Littleton, MA, LPC, C-CAT
10. “It’s important to know that those suffering from BPD tend to feel worthless. Therefore it is advisable to treat them with care and love. They also experience fear of being alone. You may keep them company instead of leaving them alone. They also are easy to anger therefore one should always understand them when they get mad or when they don’t want to be near a person. You may give them some space but don’t take it too personally and distance yourself from them.” – Dr. Kire Stojkovski, M.D.
11. “People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently dread abandonment, struggle to establish healthy relationships, experience powerful emotions, act impulsively, and may even develop paranoia and dissociation. They also have significant problems with relationships, particularly with those closest to them. Their erratic mood swings, rage outbursts, chronic abandonment concerns, and impulsive and irrational behaviors can make loved ones feel powerless, abused, and out of sorts.” – Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D.
12. “People with Personality Disorders struggle to maintain distance as well as intimacy within relationships. They push people away if the relationship might show their vulnerability and then become fearful of loss and try to pull the other person back toward them. It is all about controlling distance from the other person.” – Dian Grier, LCSW
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