The Basics

Don’t be scared. You are strong and you can get through it.

Some introductory resources you might find useful.

• BPD on Nami, the National Alliance on Mental Illness
• BPD from John Hopkins Medicine
• BPD on The Recovery Village
• Borderline in the Act from The Women’s Centre for Health Matters.
• BPD video – take a break from all that reading with video learning

Moving Forward

Lucky for you and me, stigma with regards to mental health is waning. Yet, there is still much work to be done.

There’s a giant community of people out there to help you in your recovery.

• Consider starting a blog. It’s the ultimate way to share your story and connect. I’m partial to WordPress. Here’s a list of other reputable platforms on The Blogging Buddha. When you’re up and ready, feel free to share your new blog with me.
• Check out the BPD community on The Mighty.
• Raised By Borderlines: For the children of parents with Borderline Personality Disorder on Reddit

Treatment & Research

People with BPD are considered difficult to treat. Thus, it’s important for the treatment of BPD to change and evolve.

Here are a few resources for continuous education and ongoing improvement.

• Harvard: Treating Borderline Personality Disorder
• McClean Hospital: Borderline Personality Disorder treatment
• BPD on BBR, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
• BPD in teenagers, the Child Mind Institute
• BPD and Emotional Dysregulation on BMC

BPD Memoirs

Reading about people who’ve been though it and came out on the other side helps us not feel so alone and also begin adopting a recovery strategy.

These are the ones I enjoyed and connected with the most.

Girl, Interupted by Susanna Kaysen

The Buddha and the Borderline by Kiera van Gelder

Loud in the House of Myself by Stacy Pershall

Skill-building Books/Workbooks

Building your skill set is essential in fighting this horrendous disorder. This little book here changed my life as it helped me so much! There are several skill-building workbooks out there as well. Find one that works for you.

Going back and learning all those skills we missed is not easy by any means but it can be done.

Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder by Blaise Aguirre, MD and Gillian Galen, PsyD

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by Matthew McKay, Jeffrey C. Wood and Jeffrey Brantley

Mindfullness Practice

Mindfulness practice has proved to be invaluable to my recovery and I know I’m not alone here. I’ve read countless stories of how helpful it’s been for other people.

Going further, learning how your mind works, or doesn’t work, and how to control it better, is the key to true happiness.

Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life
by Dr. Wayne Dyer

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn