Topic Tuesday // BPD Awareness featuring SPECTRUM VIC // Tues 1 Oct, 7pm AEST

@Former-Member @AndrewSpectrum @JulianSpectrum

attention seekers

trouble makers

too sensitive

@Former-Member As a pracitioner who works a lot with people with BPD, I think some of the biggest misconceptions around the illness are that people who suffer from it are somehow ‘manipulative,’ ‘attention-seeking,’ or are too hard to provide treatment to. Whilst these misconceptions are slowly changing, they still exist and can have major negative impact for the person with BPD and those around them.

@BlueBay Yeah that is a really painful stereotype. Especially the "attention seeking" stereotype. Hopefully more awareness and education in the community will help with this ❤️

Julian has spoken about some of the misconceptions in the community, which unfortunately can sometimes exist in the mental health system as well.

Sometimes we work with people who have misconceptions about having BPD themselves. One of the most common ones is that they’re alone or in some way ‘on the outside looking in’ at the rest of society. Anyone who has experienced this will know how incredibly awful it feels, and without wanting to diminish the pain of that experience, I guess I would want anyone with BPD to know that you’re not alone: there are lots of people out there, between half a million and 1.25 million Australians right now, who face similar challenges and share something of your experience, and may feel the same way you do.

Another common misconception is that people can’t recover from BPD. Recovery is different for everybody, but it’s important to know that recovery from BPD is absolutely possible, and that most people with BPD experience improvement in their symptoms over time with or without treatment. Committing to effective treatment is helpful at speeding up the recovery process.

Welcome @Fracturedlight !!! 🙂

Very sorry to hear this @roses1 it must be incredibly painful to hear, well done on standing by your son in the process

@Former-Member The stereotypes that I’ve come across within the hospital system is that people with BPD are manipulative and cause self harm just to get attention. Some hospital staff members believe that people with BPD are too hard to deal with and don’t deserve help because they cause trouble and just don’t want help.

So true @JulianSpectrum my doctor asked me today if I want to get better.

I was really angry at his comment.

He said maybe I’m not prepared to get better or I’m too comfortable how I am.

His comments don’t hrlp.