May is quite the full month. Not only is it Mental Health Month, but also Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month. Last year at this time I wrote about my understanding of Borderline Personality Disorder( BPD) as a complex trauma disorder that is stigmatized and misunderstood. Research suggests that 75% of those diagnosed with BPD have been physically or sexually abused. You can check out the post and conversation from last year and the following BPD facts, via the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder:
Prevalence
•BPD has a lifetime prevalence of 5.9% (approximately 18 million Americans)
•20% of psychiatric hospital admissions have BPD
•10% of persons who present for outpatient treatment have BPD
•17% of prison inmates have this disorder
Suicide
•10% of adults with BPD commit suicide
•a person with BPD has a suicide rate 400 times greater than for general public
•33% of youth who commit suicide have features of BPD
Treatment Challenges
•no FDA‐approved medication exists for BPD
•38% of adults with BPD are prescribed three of more medications
•BPD co‐occurs with other illnesses (e.g. 60% also have major depression)
•persons with other diagnoses may have undiagnosed BPD interfering with their recovery
•50% of people with BPD are severely impaired in employment
•Many mental health professionals are reluctant to diagnosis and/or treat individuals with BPD
Growing Support and Awareness
•BPD Research Foundation and NIMH start collaboration to support research on BPD (2000)
•NAMI raises BPD to one of its priority populations in March 2006
•U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passes House Resolution 1005 on April 1, 2008, designating May as BPD Awareness Month
•U.S. Congressional Luncheon Briefing on BPDSource: Research presentations at NEA‐BPD conferences funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, 2003‐2007.National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEA‐BPD), April 2007
Updated February 2010
Yes, BPD is prevelant. I too am diagonsed with BPD only after going through many other diagnoses. It is ashame that their is not more of BPD. Of course, more than there use to be.There are no medications to treat BPD. The most trouble I have is isolation and emotion regualtion. I am just slamned with emotions and they are getting worse then when first diagnosed. It seems I am in my own world and nothing helps. Your post on Complex PTSD is right on the money. I wish too the APA would recognise it and put it in the DSM-5. Maybe we all could get better treatment.