Happiful – September 2019

(Wang) #1

It’s essential we


break down the


misconceptions


and uncover the


truth about BPD


BPD DOES NOT MAKE YOU
A TOXIC PERSON

There is a lot of stigma around
BPD, despite it being 2019, folks.
If you find YouTube videos, or
articles involving a person with
the condition, you’ll often see a
lot of people calling them ‘toxic’,
or telling people to ‘stay away
from them’ in the comments.
But people with BPD are not
toxic; they are struggling. The
issue with BPD is that, unlike
other conditions, there is no
medication to treat it. And so,
it’s all about coping mechanisms,
meaning it may take a sufferer
a while to learn to manage it on
a daily basis. Going through a
bad patch with BPD means this
person is having a difficult time,
and they need love and support
to get through it – not fear,
confusion, and judgement.

BPD IS NOT AS EASY TO TREAT
AS SOME OTHER CONDITIONS

Some people are under the
impression that all mental
conditions can be helped with
medication, but BPD is actually
not one of them. While some
people do take medication for it,
experts are divided over whether
this is actually helpful – and no
medication is currently licensed
to treat the condition. It’s not even

recommended by the National
Institute of Health and Care
Excellence. Certain symptoms
within the disorder may benefit
from medication to manage, but
not the disorder itself. Instead,
therapies are usually suggested.
So, the similarity to other mental
illnesses here is that what works for
one person won’t necessarily work
for someone else – after diagnosis,
it can be a period of time trialling
out various methods to manage it.

84 • happiful.com • September 2019

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