BPDRecovery.com: Forums

Yes, that's kind of how I'm feeling right now. That and a lot of other mixed emotions.

Hello, I'm just coming to terms with realising that what I've lived with for decades has a name. This sledgehammer realisation hit me on the head this week.
In theory that should bring some relief, but for the moment it isn't. Instead of simply being an emotionally-handicapped, bad-tempered, horrible person (husband and father), I now have to cope with the idea that I have a real mental illness too.
So I am alternating between numb and angry. Angry that I have given my family some truly terrible moments over the years. Angry that I have spent years, even wasted my life, being a BP. Instead of seeking help long ago.
But I guess that this self-negativity is all part of BPD too?

So hello everyone. Looking forward to working on the resources on this forum and to learning from you all.

Hey, and welcome. If you're a golfer, I imagine you're glued to the Masters right now. Pretty exciting.

I lived with BPD for decades as well without ever even hearing of it much less being diagnosed with it. The good news is that you can get better if you're willing to do some hard work. Most of us find that it's best to work with a therapist with whom you have a solid, trusting relationship. Examining our feelings and our behaviors and the trouble in our lives (and the lives of our families and friends and co-workers, etc.) can be pretty painful. One kind of therapy that has been found to be most effective is CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, developed by Marsha Linehan), in particular. There are no medications that provide direct relief, though if you concurrently suffer with depression and/or anxiety, treating those conditions with drugs can help make dealing with the BPD a little easier.

In the meantime, check out our Tools (in the box on the left) for some things we've found helpful that you can work on outside of therapy.

Glad you found us, and good luck.

Tiger just made an eagle -- he's gone from 7 shots out to 1 shot behind. Game on!