Source: © Angela Roma | Pexels
Stigma stays alive and nicely with regards to borderline character dysfunction, even throughout the healthcare group:
“A study assessing mental health staff attitudes towards consumers with BPD found that over 80% of staff viewed this population as difficult to work with, and indeed, more difficult to treat than consumers with other mental illnesses.”
In a latest put up I described feeling as if I used to be experiencing high-functioning melancholy and feeling overwhelmed. I contacted a brand new supplier and we arrange a telephone session. I described my present scenario, and he or she was empathetic. She requested me if I’d had remedy earlier than, and I imagine in being clear, so I advised her about my historical past of anorexia and BPD, however I assured her they have been each beneath management and people weren’t the explanations I used to be looking for remedy now. I emphasised that the explanation I used to be looking for remedy was to keep away from my melancholy changing into worse and to not really feel so overwhelmed.
She advised me she had no expertise with consuming problems or DBT — and I repeated that my consuming dysfunction and BPD have been in remission. We received right into a dialogue about my incapacity to set clear boundaries with some individuals in my life. She mentioned she thought what I wanted was a refresher of my DBT abilities. She wasn’t going to work with me.
After she hung up, it took a few minutes to sink in: She wasn’t going to work with me. And then the probabilities of why started to scrub over me. She appeared supportive till I discussed my BPD historical past — which I don’t remorse. I would like potential suppliers to have an thought of my historical past earlier than they begin working with me, so I don’t get “accused” of hiding something. Do clinicians imagine {that a} consumer can really get well from BPD?
One examine states that “research during the past 2 decades has clearly demonstrated that BPD has a positive trajectory over time. Many of the specialized psychotherapies help patients with BPD, but long-term functional recovery is difficult.”
So the reply to the query of whether or not a consumer can really get well from BPD could also be: to a degree, however maybe not absolutely. I clearly recall telling her that I used to be at the moment working three jobs, one in all them as a full-time social employee. With me, it’s not about a capability to perform; it’s extra like: No surprise I’m feeling overwhelmed.
I’ll by no means know for certain why the therapist declined to work with me, and I want to just accept that. I’ll have my suspicions based mostly on a 15-minute dialog and her perspective shift, however maybe that was exaggerated in my thoughts due to the rejection. I think about myself lucky that this has by no means actually occurred to me earlier than. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll proceed looking.