This is a great article talking about the stigma to BPD: http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=338 Hope it helps, and remember....YOU are important, God don't make no JUNK!

Don't be embarrassed. I was diagnosed with BPD about 5 years ago, and I can asure you, it's NOTHING to be ashamed of, and much more common than people think. However, there is A LOT of misinformation and miseducation about this disorder, in the public, and in the medical community. For many years, patients with BPD were misdiagnosed as being depressed, having schizo-affective disorder, or as suffering from bipolar disorder. The thing that is confusing about BPD (for some) and why it is/was so often misdiagnosed, is because people who have it often display many characteristics of other disorders, or two disorders, or three disorders, so clinicians tend to pick the "worst" two or three and go with whatever disorder lines up. It is it's own disorder, with it's own symptoms, and it has it's own very effective treatments. I assume that you are seeing a Psychologist or Psychiatrist who has properly evaluated you and diagnosed you. That's great, and a great start. Some people with BPD respond well to medication, some don't. See what your doctor thinks is best for you, and, most importantly, make SURE you are dealing with health professionals that you feel comfortable with, that you trust, and that you feel really "hear" and "get" you. That is crucial. Some great reading: Google the word "mentalizing" and see what comes up. This is a term you'll no doubt become familiar with over the course of understanding your disorder. There are also some fantastic books out there on the disorder, which bring immense relief for sufferers. Lastly, remember that this diagnosis does NOT define you. Yes, it is a part of you, but not all of who you are, and you should not look upon yourself as somehow flawed or "bad". You have an illness that is just as valid and important and worthy of treatment and understanding as any other disease. It's not something you asked for, but there is help out there. There is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel.

Guess what...when they refine BPD down to the nitty gritty...ALMOST EVERYONE QUALIFIES to some degree of having it! Not every Mental Health "Professional" feels compelled to share THIS little tidbit of information...but it's true! So WELCOME TO THE CLUB! You are bright, intelligent, and have obviously managed...for HOW MANY YEARS NOW..think about it...to care for yourself and probably others as well in some sort of relatively SUCCESSFUL manner! Let go of shame, you have nothing to be ashamed of! As far as embarrassment goes..your "so called Professional" needs to be embarrassed for not having shared all the information with you! The Key word is BORDERLINE! We all have areas of our personalities that can blur into being borderline SOMETHING....the trick is that once we see a part of ourselves that might stop us from doing needful things, or cause us to do hurtful things (to ourselves or others) or to do things that are negative in our lives...we then can CHOOSE to do things differently. Choose to stop and think about our decisions and behaviors and will they ADD to our lives and those around us in Positive ways, that create success? Or hold us back from creating the best life we can? EDIT/Oct 2, 2008: I forgot to add that part of the CHOICE is that if you are on medications that have proved to provide you with GOOD SUPPORT for managing your situation... You then CHOOSE to take them and accept their help, or go off and watch chaos begin to trickle into your normally happy life. That too is a choice, and it seems a challenging one. A lot of folks take their meds, then go off of them. Having to take medication to feel balanced is not always a happy choice. I believe that in some cases, some disorders can be managed, at times, without medications. But, for instance...I have to take synthroid to manage my thyroid, I don't especially LIKE TO take it (daily) or to pay the almost $60.00 per month in order to take it..it used to be about $32.00 a month, (which was easier to swallow...pun intended <wink>, but no more! However, if I don't take it...I will become unwell within about three days...a lot of muscle pain all over, MOOD SWINGS, and problems with feeling hot or cold when others are not..so I take the damned pills, because I have no time or interest in having the conditions I would, if I didn't take them...I want to have fun living, not allow a "problem" my body has to get in my way...physical or mental, or emotional...always go for the GOLD in feeling the best you can...you deserve to have FUN! Do not allow this to overwhelm you, it is not WHO you are, but only a part of your life that you get to look at and choose your feelings and action on. You are not alone in it...you are just part of the entire human race! In no way does this announcement negate a single part of the wonderful, dynamic qualities you possess or have to offer!

I have it also, and have a friend who has it. I don't see this friend in person and have quite literally become her therapist. Although i truly care about her and i know she is a great person, it is extremely frustrating to help her, because even though i understand her, I can't possibly know whats in her head. I think this is why a lot of people view BPD as something they don't want to deal with. However, if anyone that is treating you is expressing those feelings, you need to get a new therapist. I think its very hard for both therapists and patients, because the therapist is walking on eggshells a lot of the time to keep from driving the patient away or losing their trust. However, it is very difficult for the patient to trust someone, so it is fairly difficult on both parts. You shouldn't feel ashamed (though i do understand, considering the stigmata that comes with the diagnoses) after all, everyone in our society shows borderline tendencies, and it is the most commonly diagnosed disorder in the U.S. (2% of the population) and if you consider that a lot of people are too afraid to get a diagnoses, the number is probably much higher.