The Grand Gaslit Misunderstanding
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is nearly universally claimed to be misunderstood and stigmatized [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Scour the internet to your heart’s content, aside from the occasional forum post or comment, you will be very hard pressed to find anybody speaking in seriously negative terms about BPD. Google every permutation trying to find someone publishing that BPDs are evil, or even just bad – it is exceptionally rare.
What you will find is a myriad of publications claiming that the prevailing narrative is that BPDs are all bad, but that this is a myth. Hundreds upon hundreds of publications will stress how the perception that BPDs are evil or bad is wrong – but try to find someone claiming this and you will be left nigh empty-handed.
Something is Not Right Here
With this due diligence behind us, we cannot escape the conclusion that something is very weird about this narrative about the narrative. What is going on here?
In a similar dynamic, the psychologists of yesteryear claimed that incestuous pedophilia was not harmful, and maybe even beneficial to the child. What else can a reasonable person conclude than that this topic in psychology must have been dominated by exactly the people engaging in the behavior? Take note that the most-recommended therapy for BPD was invented by… you guessed it – a BPD.
In a most typical behavior, the entire field is dominated by people saying that it’s OK to be BPD and decrying how everyone is demonizing BPDs, while nearly nobody seems to be doing that.
Claiming to be Persecuted is a Common BPD Tactic
They could not be more mistaken – not only is the prevailing narrative pro-BPD, BPDs are, by definition, abusers. It is a fact by virtue of the diagnostic criteria. The condition is characterized by someone exhibiting a combination of at least 5 out of 9 traits, and out of these 9 traits, 5 of them necessarily translate into abusive behavior. It is therefore impossible to be a BPD without being an abuser. And abusers are bad, mmkay.
Besides the formal diagnostic criteria, the ugly face of BPD can be captured in other general statements. They have an unstable grasp of reality, chronically basing what they think is real on what their current emotions are. Their emotions are so strong, they believe that they must be justified, and reality must therefore bend itself to fit them. BPDs are also notoriously bad at accurate self-reflection, constantly blaming others for their behaviors and their miserable ways. Also, whether they believe themselves or not, they are prolific liars.
When these statements are seen together, it cannot come as a surprise that BPDs cannot be relied upon for anything except being consistently inconsistent.
A Research Field of Dreams – The BPD Pipe Kind
Nearly the entire field of studying BPD relies on what the BPDs say. The research looking at the validity of their statements in research studies shows that they cannot assess their behavior well, even when they get to choose the person who offers the independent account of their behavior. BPDs consistently rate their behavior as less BPD-like than others do.
The conclusion that BPD self-reporting is not to be trusted can be gleaned both from the definition of what BPD is, as well as from the empirical research mentioned above. Despite this, BPD self-reporting is what nearly the entire field relies on for their data. The most glaring mistake that comes from this is the pervasive view that BPD responds well to the right treatment (while claiming that the pervasive view is that it doesn’t).
The Treatment Hoodwink
There is not a shred of evidence that any kind of treatment results in BPDs treating others better. The entirety of evidence supporting that BPD is treatable rests on three categories of observations. First, that BPDs say so. Second, that right treatment results in lower rates of hospitalization. Third, that right treatment reduces the risk of suicide. The only conclusion that is appropriate to draw from this is that “right” treatment makes BPDs feel better about what they are and what they do.
Recalling that being an abuser is necessary for a correct BPD diagnosis, a modicum of discernment makes clear that BPDs feeling better about themselves and what they do is a terrible thing unless it is accompanied by evidence of reductions in their abusive behaviors. No such evidence exists, nor does it even appear to have been a topic of study [no citable research found].
The Hard Truth
In contrast to the actual prevailing narrative, BPD has no known appropriate treatment, and certainly no cure. In similar contrast, all BPDs are abusers by definition. Finally, this author is unaware of a single account from a victim of BPD-abuse that the BPD has meaningfully improved.
With all this in mind, especially considering that the preeminent treatment from BPD was invented by a BPD, we must seriously wonder how much of this field of study is just crazy BPDs traying to make BPDs seem less insane. Those in the field who are not BPD certainly have been fooled by them.
7. Why we need to stop stigmatising borderline personality disorder | BBC Science Focus Magazine
8. (PDF) The Stigma of Borderline Personality Disorder (researchgate.net)