Lived Experience Forum

[Basmith]

Hi everyone, 

I am currently in the process of trying to get into DBT programs, but as everyone knows they are very hard to get into especially ones in the public health system due to their high demand. 

I want to start to be proactive about my mental health because I'm not getting any better waiting for a program. It has been a very rough few months for me and my motivation has been very low, but this also comes in waves so while Ive got a little bit of motivation I feel I should utilise it. 

Is there anything that anyone can recommend that has helped them with understanding BPD more and strategies I can put in place to begin my recovery? 

Thanks in advance! 

[BPDSurvivor]

Hi @Basmith ,

Resources that really helped me were:

1) book - The happiness trap by Russ Harris

2) book - Calming the emotional storm by van Dijk

3) YouTube clips - https://youtu.be/kv6HkipQcfA 

https://youtu.be/tzUoXJVI0wo

https://youtu.be/phbzSNsY8vc

All the best!

[amber22]

Hey @Basmith 

So glad to hear that you are wanting to learn more about BPD and wanting to be more proactive with your mental health, I absolutely love learning through podcasts and have listened to quite a few on mental health. One of my favourites to listen to is called Psychology Unplugged and they have a specific episode on Borderline Personality Disorder (thats the title). I just listen to that one on Spotify. I've also just put in 'BPD' into the search bar on Spotify and there are a few that might be good to listen to. One that stands out to me is the BPD Bunch, but I haven't listened to it yet, so worth a try if you have time. 

A friend of mine recommended a book to me called 'Why has nobody told me this before' by Dr Julie Smith. I bought it but am yet to start reading it. I don't think it is purely based on BPD but touches on a range of different mental health experiences written from a relatable viewpoint if you wanted to research into that too. 

All the best, 

Amber22

[TuxedoCat]

Hey @Basmith, firstly, well done on being proactive. I had a similar thing happen this year where I wanted to address my chronic pain, but couldn't afford to do all the things I wanted to (slightly different to you!), and I just wanted to find all of the things I could do myself. 

There is a forum thread called Let's do Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) where some forum members worked through the common DBT workbook together (there is a free download linked in the thread).

The thread also has a bunch of resources linked ❤️ 

I hope it's helpful to you 😊 

[puzzlingdino]

Hi @Basmith,

I've seen The Borderline Personality Disorder Workbook by Daniel J. Fox recommended by a lot of people. I haven't had a chance to work through it yet (just waiting on my copy to arrive in the mail!) but it seems decent. There's a bunch of the pages/chapters available to preview for free on Google Books if you did want to check them out to see what it's like 🙂 

[Basmith]

@amber22 thank you very much for your suggestions, I’ve listened to the psychology unplugged podcast! It was great, I’ve also ordered why has nobody told me this before so will start reading that when it arrives. 

I appreciate your help! 

[BPDSurvivor]

Any luck with the resources @Basmith ?

[DJK]

@Basmith - I went through the journey of wanting to read everything & yet nothing when I was first diagnosed. Here's my experience:

- I found it annoying when friends or family went off, read things & then came back with comments, POVs or as if they suddenly learnt something. My condition wasn't circus entertainment or a reason for them to learn a new topic, I simply needed support. I wanted them to gently 'check in' or ask if I wanted to receive an article vs them texting me a link.

- I found "self help" books either patronising or too gentle with me. It's an incredibly hard thing to live with but I wanted advice on actions to take vs permission to wallow in self pity. I was already trapped in that vortex. I wasn't strong enough to take action, rejected them all in my mind, but some part of my survival instinct wanted to know what they were if I ever regained strength. 

- I did enjoy & feel safe reading scientific research. It was objective, factual, by doctors & academics contributing - unpaid! - to the world vs trying to make money through book sales. 

I LOVED:

- A book called "A First Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links between Leadership & Mental Illness", by Nassir Ghaemi. Each chapter is about a fascinating world leader throughout history & how their assumed craziness helped change the world. It doesn't glorify them, but doesn't vilify them either.

- The BBC produced documentary by Stephen Fry called "The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive" available on YouTube. Hunt around for a high quality version & you should be looking for Part 1 & Part 2. I think an hour each. He tells his journey which is heartbreaking & lays bare the self hatred we all go through but he's also compassionate to himself. He travels the globe to meet & interview others. Many are famous, several are not & within each of their stories you'll see parts of your own. At the end of each interview he asks the question, "If you could go back in time & live a life with this condition or without this condition, what would you choose?". A brilliant, beautiful, deeply personal & reflective question. I asked my family to watch this.

- THE GREATEST MOVIE/DOCUMENTARY YOU'LL EVER SEE - Is called "Andy Irons: Kissed by God". The story of a world champion surfer. It was release in cinemas; it's movie level quality. My life still sucks but my shackles broke free by learning about "Pre manic brilliance". It was my missing link. It explained why I've been sporadically radically successful on & off in life & how the world so greatly rewarded me during those phases & then took it all away. 

https://youtu.be/GJWIPRvtAHk

Good luck, go at your own pace & don't put too much pressure on yourself to make sense of everything. You'll likely go back & revisit things over time.