The Dangers of Stigma

As I have said in previous posts, I was very ashamed when I received my diagnosis of Borderline. Let’s face it, there are not too many good things to read about it on the internet. TV crime shows is another example. I am a big fan of criminal minds, and a lot of the time they say that the killer most likely suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. That was not the most comforting thing to hear, to say the least. You either hear about killers/violent people being diagnosed with BPD, or they are stalkers. Was that what people were going to think when they learn my diagnosis? That is not who I was, and that is not who I am. But that’s what people were going to think, right? I can’t blame them though. If that is all they know, why is it their fault? That is another big reason as to why I created this blog; to educate. To erase the preconceived notion that every person diagnosed with Borderline is violent. I can’t speak for everyone, but in my own experience, the only person I was ever destructive to was myself. Another thing I read online was how difficult it is for an individual diagnosed with Borderline to find a therapist willing to work with them. Was I going to lose my current therapist? Even if I don’t tell her, she will know because of my file from treatment. Will I have to convince her that I am the same person I was before, now just with a warning label? The diagnosis didn’t change me, at least not for the worst. If anything, all of my behaviors and feelings now made sense. Even while I was dealing with the shame and embarrassment, I couldn’t deny that everything I was experiencing had an explanation. And with proper diagnosis comes proper treatment. I would finally be able to get a handle on things and learn how to cope effectively. I just didn’t realize it would take 3 years.

I wanted to address my opinion on stigma as well. Not just for me, and not just for borderline. For every person living with a mental health challenge. In my opinion, stigma primarily comes from lack of education and lack of thinking before speaking. I know it can be really easy to say things that don’t seem stigmatizing, but they sure are. For example, my all time favorite, “loony bin” or “nut house”. I get it, people think it is funny. But have you ever been in one? It’s not a vacation from work or school. It’s not for crazy people; it is for people who are dealing with trauma, hopelessness, emptiness, and so much more. Real life issues that people struggle to cope with. It is definitely not a topic to make jokes about. I know, I know. I probably sound uptight and too sensitive about something so minimal as psychiatric units. However, I am not doing this just for me. It’s for other people. People who are really struggling but are too scared to ask someone for help because they fear being judged. People who may be dealing with shame about being hospitalized. Maybe someone is looking for a person to tell them it is okay to go there, and that it doesn’t make them weak. I am that person, and you can be too.