Episode 03-15
Episode 03-15: The D in BPD
On this week’s episode, Jhen is continuing the conversation on Mental Health Awareness Month by talking to D.A., a Black pansexual polyamorous woman who has Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). We talk about how BPD and other mental health issues can affect polyamorous relationships and there are some book and social media recommendations to hear as well.
CW for this episode for conversations about suicide/suicidal ideation, self harm, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, loss of a family member.
Wanna know more about our guest?
D.A. (she/her)
D.A. is a Black pansexual polyamorous cis woman who was diagnosed with BPD in 2012. She is a bicoastal educator who lives between California and Maryland and, also has depression, anxiety and non-epileptic seizures. She chronicles her journey in self-awareness, mental health, and polyamory via open journal entries, prose, and poetry.
You can find D.A. on Facebook
Tidbits from the episode:
“Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that severely impacts a person’s ability to regulate their emotions. This loss of emotional control can increase impulsivity, affect how a person feels about themselves, and negatively impact their relationships with others.”
Borderline personality disorder is also called emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) and emotional intensity disorder (EID).
There are 4 types of BPD and it can look similar to Bipolar Disorder but there are obvious differences.
BPD has been represented in the media like in Euphoria and in Girl, Interrupted, but they tend to choose the harshest representation of it to portray.
Google “the most painful mental disorder” and BPD is what will come up at the top of the search results.
There is no medication that can treat BPD as a whole, the symptoms can, like depression, can only be managed.
There might even be a neurological reason for some BPD symptoms!
D.A. also loved Queer as Folk like Jhen but we can talk about the problematic elements of it.
D.A. is dual nested bicoastally – She lives with her husband in L.A. and in Maryland with another partner.
D.A. has a 23 page health care plan and a care team 10+ people strong to help her manage her condition.
D.A. does not practice hierarchy in her romantic relationships and is kinda solo poly BUT she is also in a D/s power exchange dynamic with one of her romantic partners (not her husband)
Books mentioned in this episode:
Raven Kaldera:
Orpheus Black
The RA Smörgåsbord
Advice for caring for someone with BPD:
"Take care of yourself. Do not be so into caring for this other person that you love, that you forget to care for you. And that includes receiving care from your community."
D.A. Rogers – May 18, 2022
People talking about BPD on Social Media:
Thank you so much for supporting the pod.
xoxo
-Jhen
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