We are social creatures. Most people need friends. We need to know we are loved. When those are lacking, our mental health suffers. Many people living with BPD end up suffering from a deep and painful sense of being unwanted. This became the case for one person, though it had not always been like that.

Most people with BPD are diagnosed in early adulthood. Their entire adult life is affected by it. But for this person the condition arrived when she was much older.

For all her adult years she had lived a fruitful life. Although she had bipolar disorder, she had, for the most part, learned to cope with the ups and downs. Long periods of depression occurred, but she always picked up again, carrying on as best as she could.

Her disorder did not keep her from living a joyful life, ministering to people with mental health problems and trying to help the world accept them. She loved the work and was thought of as a godly woman by many, sought after when a person with depression needed support. Many were helped through their crises.

But trauma came and her life changed. BPD made its presence known. She was hurt, could not help responding with anger. Cried out, unable to keep the pain to herself. The person inside her still loved those who needed help and reached out to them in every way she could. But she was never looked at in the same way again by those who were once friends. She was shunned. Ostracized.

It was as though the good person she had been known as before, had disappeared.

But she’s still there, though no longer recognized by those who think ill of her. Still there, though with far less friends. Still trying to help people understand, accept, and love those who live with mental health challenges. Still trying to overcome the stigma.