Personality Disorders And Stigma

When psychologists talk about “personality,” they’re referring to the patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that make each of us unique. No one acts exactly the same all the time, but we do tend to interact and engage with the world in fairly consistent ways. This is why people are often described as “shy,” “outgoing,” “meticulous,” “fun-loving,” and so on. These are elements of personality.

Because personality is so intrinsically connected to identity, the term “personality disorder” might leave you feeling like there’s something fundamentally wrong with who you are. But a personality disorder is not a character judgment. In clinical terms, “personality disorder” means that your pattern of relating to the world is significantly different from the norm. (In other words, you don’t act in ways that most people expect). This causes consistent problems for you in many areas of your life, such as your relationships, career, and your feelings about yourself and others. But most importantly, these patterns can be changed!

Even though mental health advocates like I, actively fight the stigma associated with mental illness, I feel that Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) remains one of the field’s most misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and stigmatized conditions. Studies show that even some mental health professionals have more stigmatizing views about BPD than any other mental health condition.

This personality disorder has been stigmatizing and not speaking out about it. For far too long, I thought I had a different Illness other than the one I was diagnosed with. Having interacted with other people who have the Mental health problem I was diagnosed with, I always had doubts about the diagnosis I was given. I'm not yet on any treatment but I am using the same coping mechanisms I used to use and they work. When they don't, I try my best to reach out to someone within my support system. Thanks to a clinical psychologist I met at one of the mental health forums, she was able to settle down my suspicions and I am now working towards getting treatment and therapy.
 I have lost friendships and relationships in my lifetime and I have made peace with the fact that it was because of what I suffer from, it's so easy to be passed off as an excuse but it's true. And the Stigma surrounding Personality Disorders is real so as to beating this Stigma.

#EndTheStigma