Anyone know of ANY success stories of Borderline Personality Disordered people recovering EVER?

Question

I am asking, because someone I know suffers from this trauma induced illness- and she is a severe example of total denial and projection. Very high-functioning socially.
So far I haven't found A SINGLE exmple of any real recovery except that one famous example, which isn't much of a recovery- she was able to figure it OUT for herself why but not really stop the symptoms and issues inside herself, even after 30-40 years of work.
All the cases documented this is the most dibilitating of mental illnesses precisely because the suffering person refuses to stick with help or believe they have a legitimate and very noticable illness to everyone else- and they run from everyone and anything that challenges this denial mechanism citing abuse and criticism in their permanent self-victimizing passing the buck and sabotaging and avoiding anything that challenges their already fragile little self-esteem. I.E. once destroyed they canno longer "fix" themselves. No real control of self: Displaced

A little more background. First thnx for the input so far. I know this Q is gonna draw in the angry ones- as it has already. I am not the one with the disorder. It is a label, like anything else, but a descriptive one for something that is, as some of you know, based on some sort of incredible invalidating traumatice childhood events- a past of course that can not be changed. I've seen movies and read the textbooks (just about all there are) on it. By "recovery" I mean specifically able to STOP the dysfunctionalism and displacement/projection/pretense/denying and utter total victimization of the self. I mean recovery= finally become self-responsible completely- like anyone else? Or is THAT the "illness" in this "mental illness"- that their minds are forever broken. That story (one of two) is the only ones where someone seems to have switched assemblage points/perspective to see what they once were like and realize it was a choice in some way all along for which they are responsible for

Answer 1

Whew - you certainly know how to pack an awful lot of info into what began as a short, and seemingly simple question. . .

The first thing I notice (feel) about YOU?
A tremendous amount of pent up frustration - palpable to the point of directing me to ask? ...
Is your question truly about a 'friend'??? . . .or ---
Is this 'you' - working thru/behind one of your 'alter' personalities?
Not that the answer really matters, in the long run. And, I don't feel that the answer can be relegated to the almost 'flip' response of your first respondent.

So - getting on to your inquiry. . . Here's the best I can offer.

Way back in early, primary, school . . .
Did you ever have a class project? where you put seeds on a wet paper towel, on the window sill, and some on a bookshelf, then watch them grow? The ones that were given adequate water and light - appeared to thrive, compared to the others that were somewhat deprived, correct?
As time passed, and the experiment results moved on - those that were deprived, never did reach full maturity, and then the stage of making seed pods, as the adequately nurtured ones did. They did not 'die' from lack of nutrients - they only grew scrawny and unhealthy looking.

Same with folks who suffer with what society has classified as 'disorders'... Less than healthy, adequate 'growing' conditions have caused malformations in mind and spirit and emotions.

To those who are 'outside' this condition - this usually well disguised defect is quite frustrating and difficult to understand- and even more challenging to accept and deal with. To those who are living this condition - every sunrise brings new and challenging events that can trigger defense mechanisms within themselves, that none others can recognize or comprehend.

You ask if there is a 'cure' - ever?
Do the malformed, malnourished seeds in the school experiment EVER regain a healthy appearance? or ability to reproduce?
Even with improved conditions and nutrients, the deprived seeds shall always appear 'damaged', thru their natural life span . . . no amount of 'healing' treatment can 'disappear' what they endured, early in development. . .

Live, and let live --- Those with this awful, incurable affliction are doing the very best they know how --- similar to the gangly, less green seeds on the bookshelf in the classroom experiment. . .

Answer 2

WOW.. it sounds like you already have done your homework, and already know the answer,,/s

I thought i was a ? SUCESS STORY, of a borderline personality..
however, i did not get a quizz that said i passed or failed,

Borderline personality disorder is a name for a dysfunction right?

Well by whose authority? AND which group of geniuses created this mental disorder definition? and what guidelines do they ? who ever they are use?

if person has certain characteristics, they may be put in the catagory bi-polar, or schitzophrenia (if i spelled it correctly) not sure, or "borderline" OR "Paranoid" yet, text books, to give a life sentence to individuals seems unjust, when a persons mental evaluation may not yet be totally understood.. remember Salem?

Maybe you are correct in your determination that "us people" have little to no recovery, and can not stop the symptoms, after years of work are "doomed" to be in denial,,and a self-esteem flunkie..
however, can you entertain the possibility that the no real control of self displaced as you said, can still function in this messed up world, ? AND what does that make you, ?
A human with a problem not diagnosed, nor placed in a certain catagory, where your "illness" may be, obsession with a person like this, that will not change to your liking or whatever your interest is, you have the need to "blame" HER ILLNESS , FOR YOUR LACK OF BEING COMPATABLE, OR HELPING HER IN HER RECOVERY,, AND BLAME THE DISEASE, NOT YOU..

WELL, I AM READY TO PUT ON MY BOXING GLOVES VERBALLY, HOWEVER, I THINK I WILL DO SOME RESEARCH, REFRESH MY UNDERSTANDING OF SELF AND THE ELEMENTS THAT DIBILITATE ME,

Answer 3

I'm not sure that recover is the right word unless you mean it as an ongoing process like a recovering alcoholic. Many people with Borderline Personality Disorder do learn to function with a fairly normal life. There are no recorded cases of a "cure" but that doesn't mean there isn't hope of significant improvement.

Answer 4

I work with borderlines... it is difficult and quite a rollercoaster ride. One day loving you the very next hating you. It takes time to work on this disorder... cognitive and behavioral training and relearning works wonders with this population but it often takes so much energy before you see any improvements. Best thing is to keep working at it. Taking personal responsibility for ones actions and learning to stop blaming is key. This is what makes it so hard working with BPD patients it brings out horrible counter transference withe the clincian and we get fed up ourselves sometimes and believe it's time to walk away. I teach an Anger Management course in a prison for women and believe me it is one of the most difficult disorders and most resistant to change but I have witnessed changed though it takes some time. Here is an interesting book that I'm reading "Interpersonal Diagnosis and Treatment of Personality Disorders" By Lorna Smith Benjamin... she talks about a list of interesting didactic therapeutic techniques that work and how to overcome counter transference when you begin to feel it settling in. I hope this helps

Answer 5

Every time a person gets out of a possible life sentence for being criminally insane, they have a remarkable recovery!!!

It is usually about 6 months in the hospital and the person is
All better, isn't that lovely?

It's amazing how the though of life in prison can make crazy people sane again...

Answer 6

Buy or rent the movie, Girl, Interrupted. It's main character, Susanna Kaysen has Borderline and is in the hospital. It's a true story of her hospitalization. It's a good movie.

Answer 7

dont think there is a cure, and never recover..they just learn through counseling, and meds to cope with it...but if your friend is in denial, hard to help someone who wont help themselves.

Answer 8

you don't recover you just learn to function with this disease. many are helped with medication and counseling.