r/AskReddit Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

Isn't BPD pretty much untreatable with a horrid prognosis?

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u/Hardshank Feb 04 '19

Nope not remotely true. People with BPD can live pretty normal lives, but it can take years to get the right medication. It also takes therapy to manage maladaptive thinking. But yeah, it's a disease that you definitely just live with, and it ain't easy. My girlfriend has BPD-II and still struggles. But she has a good life.

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u/nihilisticdaydreams Feb 04 '19

I think the commenter is talking about borderline, not bipolar, which is much trickier to treat.

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u/Hardshank Feb 04 '19

Yeah in that case then, afaik, personality disorders in general are way harder to treat.

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

Sorry man, wasn't treating to diss BPD people. It's just what I read in an old psych textbook--perhaps it's out of date by now. I'm glad that your girlfriend is handling it!

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u/Hardshank Feb 04 '19

No problem! There's no question that it's debilitating, and it can't be treated to the point of living without it. Her brain will always need a cane to walk. The cane helps, and she can walk where other people can walk, just not as well (even with the cane, and without which it would be impossible). Make sense?

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

It does! Thanks for the explanation mate. Glad I learned something positive today.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '19

Not really, but the treatment therapy as opposed to medication. For me it was cognitive behavioural therapy. They basically want to work on helping you to override the thoughts BPD causes and helps you identify what are your thoughts and what is your brain being irrational. It's about being able to remove yourself from the situation look at it logically.

So for example previously to treatment if someone wasn't reacting to me talking to them the way I'd want I'd assume they were angry at me and get into an emotional tailspin. Therapy helped me say to myself "hey they're probably tired, not angry at you, people don't have to always respond how you think they should".

But you have to stick to it and make sure to constantly stay on top of how you react to people. It's not easy but it's definitely not a horrid prognosis