My sister has Borderline Personality Disorder

[Fallen Messenger]

I feel like I've been talking a lot lately and that's something I don't usually do, but I found something out today.

A few months ago my sister (17 years old) mentioned that she thinks she might have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and I kind of dismissed it. Earlier today I brought it up again because she had one of her mood swings. I researched the disorder a bit and found out that she needs counseling right away or else her chances of a full recovery will drop from 85% to 35%. We had a good discussion and I subtly made sure that she didn't have MD. I read a story about someone who has both MD and BPD and it is a horrible combo to have. I found out that MD and BPD have the same trigger: childhood abuse and trauma. Although it isn't confirmed for MD, it is for BPD. It just shows how two minds and personalities can take the same experiences and let them effect their lives in completely different ways. I retreat to an elaborate fantasy world as she builds up sadness and anger then explodes then cries while having a panic attack for hours. I'm at least glad that her disorder is a common one that has a lot of research on it so she can get effective treatment while ours is all experimental. I hope she finds peace and recovers, even though I know that it is unlikely for me because MD is so under researched. Do any of you have a similar experience? Do you have any advice for me to help her? I really do care for her and want the best for her. Thanks for reading!

[Annie]

Hey, just a quick comment, if you look at Dr Somer's latest research you will find that only about 15% of people they interviewed have experienced actual childhood drama. So it is certainly for some people a trigger, but not for all. I have not experienced anything of note (and I am grateful for that), if anything I had an amazingly free and supportive childhood in a beautiful setting. And yet once I did the test Dr Somer developed to assess the extent of MDD issues I fell into the worst category (I think I scored something like 80 out of a hundred) off MDD sufferers. We shouldn't be so quick do find the reasons for our issues in generalised causes, or we might miss a lot of the real reasons and a lot of people suffering.

Anyways, I am glad your sister is getting help now, and so are you. I think it's amazing that you can share your concerns so openly with each other and are so supportive! Well done.