Who We Are
New: Listen to an interview with Amanda Smith here.
FBPDA is a newly-formed 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to educating all Floridians about this disorder.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a severe mental illness that affects approximately 2% of the general population and may be characterized by marked impulsivity, feelings of emptiness and boredom, disturbed or chaotic relationships, a fear of abandonment, and a fragile sense of self. Approximately 75% of persons diagnosed with BPD engage in self-injurious behavior and between 8 and 10% of persons with BPD complete suicide. However, the good news is that BPD is highly treatable given appropriate care by trained mental health professionals.
Unfortunately, there are many prevalent myths and half-truths about borderline personality disorder. The most common include:
• Borderline Personality Disorder isn’t treatable and the prognosis is poor.
• Persons diagnosed with BPD do not benefit from medications.
• “Borderlines” are manipulative.
• Consumers diagnosed with BPD are purposefully difficult and needy.
• Men are not diagnosed with BPD.
• BPD is really the same as bipolar disorder.
The truth is that none of these assertions are wholly factual. Over many years, borderline personality disorder has been shrouded by many inaccuracies—even throughout the mental health field. We believe that these false beliefs actually harm persons diagnosed with BPD, their families, and friends.
An important part of our job is to deliver current psychiatric information about borderline personality disorder so that fiction can be replaced with truth. And while we do not endorse or recommend any particular health providers or specific treatments for BPD, we do hope to empower families and consumers to connect with professionals who are compassionate and dedicated to providing superior care for persons diagnosed with BPD.
Please, educate yourself. Educate others.
Amanda L. Smith
Executive Director
P.S. You can now find us on Facebook and MySpace!
As in all mental illness, clinicians have to be very careful about casual attributions, negotiating between the dangerous shoals of blaming the family and blaming the patient. —Harriet Lefley PhD
