Actress and Neurobiologist Mayim Bialik uses her Grok Nation website to shed light on different mental illnesses, and this week she addressed Borderline Personality Disorder. We thought it was worthwhile to share an excerpt from her post here, and we hope you’ll click through for the full text. If you live in the greater Cleveland area and recognize yourself or someone you love in her article, we hope you’ll reach out.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by ongoing unstable moods and behavior which often leads to impulsive actions, and unpredictable and unhealthy relationships. It does not – as some may believe from its name – refer to someone who is “borderline” other things; it’s a diagnosis in and of itself.
Personality Disorders differ from other disorders: they are characterized by features that are typically not “easy” to diagnose and treat since they encompass a set of behaviors and ways of thinking and behaving that are ingrained deeply into a person’s personality.
Oftentimes, individuals with BPD will also have other mood disorders, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and often they will have addictions such as alcohol, drugs, sex addiction or even shopping addictions. Suicidal thinking, suicidal behaviors and suicide, and other types of risky behavior, are also not unusual in those with BPD.