“The Mindful Psychology Podcast” with Genevieve Angela B., is an equally educational and intriguing source for broadening your view on society. This particular episode contained a take on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) hosted by doctors Kibby McMahon and Jaqueline Trumbull. They stated that “People that possess BPD are individuals that have trouble with relationships to others and the world and have a low sense of self.” This particular disorder is pervasive in different domains of a person’s life and impairing as it blocks the way people want to live life. The doctors discussed their reasons for being drawn to these particular patients and why they chose to specialize in this field. Mchanon and Trumbull sharedthat it is the individuals who inspirethis care and interest. BPD is not a temporary condition, rather it can occur whent a person has become vastly invalidated. These individualsdo not understand themselves or their emotions. Furthermore, they do not know how to regulate or stop impulsive feelings and choices. It was stated in the podcast that they fear rejection and abandonment, leading to shame. Shame plays a big factor in BPD – it causes an individual to fall deeper into a hole of depression, misunderstood emotions, and acting out.
The psychological side to the development of this mental illness was further discussed in this portion of the podcast. BPD arises from experiences that may occur at a young age. Trumbull explained that when a baby is born, they are in a very vulnerable state and exude any and every emotion they have. BPD developsalmost always due to the reaction of the parents. Certain parents do not know how to deal with their child’s behavior and often invalidate them or even meet them with verbal or physical violence. In a child’s sub-conscience, this registers that the natural tools they have been given to express themselves and obtain what they feel they need to survive with are completely ineffective. This causes a state of not knowing how to act and not knowing how they feel about situations in general. However, they do comprehend that when they create big expressions of feeling and chaos, they are met with a reaction every time. They become dependent on this and it becomes their way of life.
The podcast discussion concluded that they do not agree with the name of the disorder. They feel as though Borderline Personality Disorder is too intense, perhaps contributing to a person’s shame, and that Emotional Dysregulation Disorder would be a more appropriate title.
As a person taking AP Psychology this past year, the podcast was interesting, based on the information I learned in that course. It was intriguing how the therapists claimed that there was a large stigma when it came to BPD. The way they dove deeper into the origins of where the mental illness comes from was compelling. One idea that stood out was the fact that people with BPD crave love and affection and when they want to be liked by somebody, they tend to embody them. They adopt peoples’ style, mannerisms, and speaking tendencies just so they can be accepted. That is just one of the many fascinating concepts centered around BPD. Though the disorder can be hard to live with, professionals are always there to help understand the cognitive functions and comprehensive studies surrounding BPD.
The Viking Journal 