Global Health Mag

Sometimes the news isn’t as straightforward as it’s made to seem. Matt Sloan, The Mighty’s contributing editor, explains what to keep in mind if you see this topic or similar stories in your newsfeed. This is The Mighty Takeaway. Perhaps I’m naive, but I continue to be surprised by the depths to which U.K. tabloid the Daily Mail will go to scaremonger. …

A friend of mine came up to me today and said, “Describe life in just one word.” He waited, anticipating responses such as Hope. Love. Fun. Travel. Without a moment’s hesitation and with fiery eyes, I blurted out, “Survival!” That’s what life is for me. Survival. When you live with borderline personality disorder (BPD), you can’t possibly plan for the …

1. When I am feeling anxious or going through a depressive episode, instead of keeping it to myself I will tell my partner/close friend/family member so we can navigate the episode together. There is a reason why they are part of my support system, and it is that they are there to support me. I shouldn’t shut them out, even if …

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a highly stigmatized and misunderstood mental illness that affects about 14 million Americans, or 5.9 percent of adults in the U.S. But because the symptoms usually first occur while a person is a teenager or in their early 20s, it’s too easy to dismiss those early signs as “bad behavior” or “teenage angst,” when in actuality the person is …

I will tell you about my self-harming, my suicidal ideation, my dissociative episodes — pretty much all my deepest, darkest moments. In fact, having borderline personality disorder (BPD), I will overshare — bursting out such uncomfortable gems to anyone and everyone, at maybe not the best of moments. I will desperately try illustrating that’s it’s OK to talk about it …

Everyone has a fear of something. It could be a physical thing like spiders. It could be a fear with no known reason, like a fear of heights. I have a friend who is terrified of elevators and another whose worst fear is not being able to protect her child. These fears range from something that perhaps could be confronted …

When you hear about borderline personality disorder (BPD), you often hear about the tremendous fear of abandonment, the reckless behaviors, the potential addictions, self-harming tendencies and the constant, intense mood fluctuations that come along with the diagnosis. Some things that aren’t talked about as much are the difficulties with object permanence (or emotional constancy) and time perception. Object permanence is understanding that objects continue to …

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which is devoted to ending the stigma surrounding mental illness. The mental health stigma may seem daunting to reverse, but there is a myriad of ways we can work to combat it. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, I asked people from all walks of life how we can reduce the mental health stigma. …

I am not likable. Or so I hear people say. For as long as I can remember, I was labeled “over-acting,” “dramatic,” “attention-seeking” and even “too passionate.” Growing up, I learned if I muffled the emotions, I was more “acceptable.” Through the years, I got better at it. I learned that bottling up my feelings made me more likable. There …

While I was seeing my former psychiatrist, she once referred to my situation as “high-functioning” borderline. I identify with this label in a sense because while I do have the diagnosis and experience the symptoms and the consequences of them, at the same time I do get up and get my shit done nonetheless. I went to school. I graduated. Now …

Anger: check. Racing thoughts: check. Yes, they are present and most definitely correct! Rapid breathing: check. Massive jump to extreme conclusion: check! Outrage at his injustice: check. Regrettable action: check. Well, he deserved it. Target in place: oh yes, he knows who he is and why. My record is playing; I am ready to go. The evil monster I can …

I have borderline personality disorder (BPD) and for me, stressful situations can work like a potent, mind-altering drug. In small doses, stressors seem to tweak my physiology and impair my thinking to some degree depending on their severity, but will eventually work their way through my system, at which point I can then go about my life with some semblance …

With borderline personality disorder (BPD), no two people with the mental illness are alike. Some even describe it as a spectrum. I find myself on the higher functioning side. I live by myself, keep track of my appointments and have a few stable relationships. However, there’s a lot to my BPD that people don’t see from the outside looking in. 1. …

Among all of the mental illnesses, research has shown people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have not only the highest number of suicide attempts, but also the highest rates of completion. Some studies have the numbers as high as 70% of people with BPD will attempt suicide at least once in their lifetime, while many will have multiple attempts and the death rates are estimated as high …

To the person at the grocery store asking me, “How are you?” to the friend on the phone asking me about my day, to the concerned boss wondering how life is going outside of work. I need to tell you something… I lie. I lie when I tell you I’m “fine.” I am not fine, but I don’t want to burden …