Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Awareness

From every perspective – human, clinical, social and economic – there is a strong case to argue for more and better services for people with borderline personality disorder.

Effective evidence based treatments exist. The widespread roll-out of these treatment services is lagging behind the evidence. Meanwhile, the significant impact of living with BPD goes unchecked and the stigma persists. It is time that we see these effective treatments made widely available, across the public and private mental health sectors. The relief experienced by those with borderline personality disorder and their families and carers when we do so will be palpable and the results will be extremely worthwhile. There can be no stronger call for investment in contemporary mental health service development.

Dr Peggy Brown AO – BPD Awareness Week 2018 Ambassador and Patron of the Australian BPD Foundation

Thank you to all our supporters for recognising the importance of raising awareness of BPD especially the following organisations.

Mind Museum

Art is a powerful way to convey messages. We would love you to help us promote the 2018 BPD Awareness theme “Know BPD. NO Stigma” by posting positive images that you associate with this theme. The image can be art work in any form. Just upload your image onto Instagram tagged with #bpdawarenessaustralia #KnowBPDNoStigma #BPDawareness

What is BPD

Borderline Personality Disorder is a complex and serious mental illness. With a range of evidence-based treatments, it now has good rates of recovery.

Perspectives

People with BPD, their family and friends and clinicians share their journeys of living with BPD and offer hope for recovery.

A New National Road Map for Australia

Written by one of Australia’s pre-eminent BPD Clinicians, this important paper outlines the current Australian BPD status, achievements and challenges moving forward. We invite comment from our Australian BPD community.

Spread the word - Take Action!

Please take one minute to send this ready made email to your Health Minister and Mental Health Commissioner. Together our voices can make a huge difference.

Simply click on a link here for your email and your contact.

Mind Museum

What is BPD

Life’s a rollercoaster for everyone. For those with BPD, it’s a rocket to the moon.

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterised by a persistent pattern of varying moods, low self-image, and challenging behaviours. These symptoms often result in impulsive actions and problems in relationships. People with borderline personality disorder may experience intense episodes of anger, depression, and anxiety that can last from a few hours to days.

Because some people with severe BPD have brief psychotic episodes, experts originally thought of this illness as atypical, or borderline, versions of other mental disorders. While mental health experts now generally agree that the name “borderline personality disorder” is misleading, a more accurate term does not exist yet.

‘When you understand, you cannot help but love. You cannot get angry. To develop understanding, you have to practice looking … with the eyes of compassion. When you understand, you love. And when you love, you naturally act in a way that can relieve the suffering of people.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Perspectives

Carissa: Busting some myths around BPD

In this clip Carissa a lived experience advocate from Western Australia debunks 3 months surrounding BPD based on her own lived experience.

Is BPD attention seeking?
Are you being dramatic?
Can you have a stable relationship?

Dr Haley Peckham: Experiences Shapes Brains

In this clip Dr Haley Peckham discusses how our life experiences shape our brains.

Using music as a way to communicate feelings

Ann Brita Nilsson is a singer-songwriter and someone who a special interest & personal carer experience in BPD/NPD and its effects on the wider community through her work as a kinesiologist & NLP practitioner and a support group facilitator of Sanctuary – a support group for adult children who have a parent with a personality disorder or for people in a relationship with a person with a personality disorder.

Using Art Therapy to aid recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Maree struggles to express herself with words and to trust her therapist so she uses art and art therapy as her way of explaining (without words) what it’s like recovering from BPD. She shares some of her installations to highlight the importance art therapy for many in their journey towards recovery

National Road Map

Senate Motion for BPD Awareness Week

Downloadable PDF

Towards developing a National Strategy for Borderline Personality disorder- a dollar a citizen per year will get us started in the right direction

Downloadable PDF

Personal Blogs

Carissa: My visit to Emotions Matter in New York

Carissa identifies with having recovered from BPD. She recently returned from New York after interning for 10 days with Emotions Matter - a NFP organisation dedicated to empowerment, raising awareness and advocating for changes to the U.S. health care system for people with BPD. Emotions Matter was formed by three women who each share a bond of experiencing a loved one with BPD and coming together to fight stigma and improve treatment. During Carissa’s visit, Emotions Matter showcased how they joined with other mental health organisations such as Brooklyn Minds, to develop a comprehensive…

What’s your first thought when you look at these trees? I’m guessing that it’s not that they are sick. You’re more likely to be thinking that they are growing in a unidirectional wind which accounts for their buckled shape; and you’d be right. Throughout their lives these trees that grace Slope Point, the southernmost point of New Zealand’s South Island, are pushed by strong circumpolar winds that relentlessly grind them into a buckled and compromised submission. They continue to grow and photosynthesise, bearing fruit to beget a new generation, as all life forms must to continue their …

Linda has come to the realisation that she has recovered and is actually leading a pretty good life - and with ‘Crumpet’ in tow - is looking forward to an exciting future I was diagnosed with BPD in 1991. My life was chaotic but I somehow made it through year 12. Thinking back, I can clearly remember how absolutely desperate I felt. It seemed nothing was satisfying and every attempt to find meaning or enjoyment ended up in depression, self-harm and hospital with a feeling of failure with every turn I took. Those years were exhausting to the point where it was just impossible to have the ener…

Early Prevention and Detection of Borderline Personality Disorder is Important. Emily* and her parents spent years looking for appropriate treatment. It’s been a long, hard road to diagnosis for our 15 year-old daughter Emily* and us. It would have been better if it had come sooner. Emily’s behaviour went from sensitive, engaged and happy to challenging, angry and selfdestructive when she was 7 years old. Unbeknown to us, she had experienced sexual abuse by a male peer and relative. I spent years seeking help for Emily. I felt betrayed by the ‘system’ for taking so long to name what she w…

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Awareness

Mind Museum

What is BPD

Perspectives

A New National Road Map for Australia

Spread the word - Take Action!

Carissa: Busting some myths around BPD

Dr Haley Peckham: Experiences Shapes Brains

Using music as a way to communicate feelings

Using Art Therapy to aid recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Carissa: My visit to Emotions Matter in New York

Haley: What has neuroplasticity got to do with BPD?

Linda: My recovery journey

A mum's plea: Early Intervention