Borderline Personality Disorder, Also know as BPD for short. Is a serious Mental Illness that surrounds the inability to manage ones emotions. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders about 75% of people who are diagnosed with BPD are women. BPD normally starts in adolescents or early adulthood. The following is an interview I conducted with a young woman who is in her early twenties who suffers from BPD. She has chosen to remain anonymous throughout this interview.

Whats a day in your life like with BPD?

A struggle. Some days are far, far worse than others. BPD is all about emotions. It does however vary from person to person. But, I get up in the mornings, I get dressed, go to work, come home, eat my tea and then relax by watching Netflix. Then rinse and repeat throughout the week. I try to function just like any other person would. I have this, that does cause that process to be a bit more difficult for me.

So how does BPD affect you? What are the symptoms as such?

As I said before, for me it’s all emotions based. There are so many different aspects that build up BPD, that even I, someone who’s been diagnosed for three years can’t even list. The key ones for me are Paranoia, Depression and Anxiety. My feelings are very strong, so when I’m happy, I’m very, very happy. Then when I’m sad, I’m at my lowest of the low. I just don’t feel like have an in between at all. It’s either one extreme or the other. Even the smallest of things can feel like massive tragedies to me. But big events, have a much larger and lasting impact compared to these smaller ones. When the big things happen I struggle to function, work feels impossible and some days I can’t even get out of bed, it feels like I’m paralysed.

You’ve said twice now that you work, how do you find that?

Hard, but I really need it, having this routine that’s pretty much always the same provides me with a sense of stability and normality. There’s this vibe I get when I tell people I work, like they are saying “Should I even be working”. Why can’t I work though, Just because I have BPD that doesn’t mean I am incapable of doing a job. In fact, not to blow my own trumpet I am very, very good at my job, so why shouldn’t I do it.

Do you feel there are preconceptions towards people with mental illness?

Absolutely, maybe that’s my paranoia talking. I don’t like to even tell people that I have a mental illness, I just feel like they are judging me. It makes me feel uncomfortable around them and extremely anxious. Especially when people hear the words “personality disorder” they probably think I’m Jekyll and Hyde, which is so not true. If people ask me if something is wrong with me, I just say I am feeling a bit sad, It’s just easier that way.

BPD was officially recognised in 1980 by the psychiatric community. It’s more than two decades behind in research and treatment options. BPD has historically been met with widespread misunderstanding and blatant stigma. I feel that is still the case in today’s society. But I hope that this interview can tackle some of these issues around BPD. Help people who may know someone who has BPD to support them and to help you realise that just because someone has BPD that doesn’t mean they are any less of a person.