This morning, as I considered the great need individuals with mental illness have for respect, I recalled some of the problems my research showed me in the frequently poor medical care given to BPD patients. These problems can crop up anywhere – not only in the medical community.
As I’ve said before, many practitioners consider BPD a hopeless condition, though it’s known that with therapy there is hope. Once patients start displaying symptoms, there is a danger that these symptoms will come to define who they are. Even doctors, therapists and nursing staff have been known to mistakenly judge patients by what they see through their symptoms. The person underneath those symptoms – the whole person – is forgotten or thought to no longer exist.
Then, even when the person is doing well, not displaying symptoms, it’s hard for him to regain the positive regard he might have received before the illness struck.
This is one of the unfortunate realities of trying to maintain respect when saddled with a mental health condition. And this is especially true for patients with BPD, a severe illness that carries such extreme stigma.
Leave a Reply