Global Health Mag

I have an urgency to write this. As if someone needs to read this, or maybe I just need to see it. Yes, I’m going to give you glimpse of my mind again. If you can check all judgment, fix-its and sympathy at the door, you are welcome to have a look. If not, please stop reading now. Nearly every …

I have been so hesitant to talk about this. The doctor said I had some, but not all of the characteristics of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, I realize that just because I only have some of symptoms doesn’t mean I don’t have it. I think the same goes with a physical illness — if you have a few symptoms, …

A symptom of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a lack of clear identity and sense of self. It can feel like you’re empty; nothing feels like your own. I feel like an empty balloon, nothing but a collection of interests, feelings, thoughts and hobbies… except they’re not mine. Or at least they weren’t. The way I see it, I was a balloon floating …

Who am I? At this very moment, I am a self-absorbed, mentally ill artist making work about my own psychological pain. I always wanted to be special, surely everyone wants that? All you need is to discover your own specific “brand” of special. I soon noticed that being special due to talent brings jealousy, and being special due to hard …

I turned 55 today. I stood in a very cold garage smoking a high-end cigar and drinking a maple bourbon and coke, listening to Sinatra’s “September of My Years,” wondering what all my dead relatives would think of me now. It’s play acting, I know. I try to catch a feeling and a place in time because they don’t come …

I am very used to friends telling me they need space. As someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD), I get that all the time. I love too much. When I love someone, I love them with everything I have — and that love is very intense. There is no in-between. For me, it’s either all in or nothing at all. …

Borderline personality disorder (BPD). What words come to mind after hearing such a diagnosis? Manipulative. Attention-seeking. That “crazy ex” of so-and-so who threatened to burn his house down. If you have it or love someone who does, you’re familiar with the fragile self-esteem, self-destructive tendencies and rollercoaster of emotions that can make daily life struggling with BPD a tough ride. …

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, incurable condition that involves alterations in the function of your nervous system and how your brain processes pain. Many doctors refer to fibromyalgia as a “hypervigilant” or “fight-or-flight” illness because your nervous system stays in alarm mode all the time. The three most common symptoms of fibro are widespread pain, fatigue and cognitive difficulties like brain fog. An estimated 3 to …

Perspective. Looking at myself in the mirror is like trying to imagine other people’s perspective of me. Therefore, the mirror lies. It only reflects what is in front of it. Feelings and emotions can’t be seen. My face is just a mask I wear every day to please others and sometimes, to lie to myself. But what is the reality …

Stage 1: The Trigger There are two ways I can write about this — the trigger before I understood what was going on and the trigger now that I know what is going on. Before I had a diagnosis or engaged in any kind of treatment or made any kind of attempt to understand what was going on, triggers were …

To some degree, all borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms are challenging to explain or understand. On one hand, BPD has been described as the mental illness with “surplus stigma,” on the other hand, it is a complex disorder with a combination of painful symptoms that seem impossible to put into words. However, the identity-based symptoms, or as the criteria puts it, …

Lately, I’ve been feeling guilty. I wish I didn’t feel that way. I wish I could easily believe I’m taking care of myself, and that I’m not responsible for how other people feel, what other people are doing or how they react to me. But I can’t. Not yet, anyway. I’m working on my ability to separate my own feelings …

When we talk about borderline personality disorder (BPD), we usually think of nine classic symptoms that present in obvious, outward behaviors. While it’s true that many folks with BPD do express these symptoms outwardly in sometimes painful ways, the reality is not everyone with BPD “acts out” — some “act in.” Because of this, we wanted to pull together some memes for all our “quiet” …

When you live with a health condition, oftentimes there are some unwanted — or “embarrassing” — symptoms you have to learn to live with. This is something many people who live with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are familiar with. For those who don’t know, BPD is a mental illness characterized by trouble regulating emotions and stormy interpersonal relationships. In the Diagnostic and Statistical …

So much stigma surrounds borderline personality disorder (BPD). Finding a TV show that accurately depicts it can feel like an impossible task. Most only know BPD based on stereotypes, and because of this, it’s easy to question whether compassionate depictions of BPD and its symptoms exist in pop culture at all. While it can seem like Hollywood either portrays BPD badly or not at all, a few of our …