Calling Bullsh*t on BPD Stigma (ft. @thetruthdoctor Dr. Courtney Tracey)

Who says people with BPD can’t do great things? Dr. Courtney Tracey (also known as @thetruthdoctor on IG) proves them all wrong and she’s here to prove that you can, too. Professionals that are open about their own battles with BPD are rare. As a licensed clinical social worker and doctor of clinical psychology, Courtney has over 12 years of education and an audience of 2 million followers under her belt. Courtney is passionate about learning and teaching with others how the mind and body work, while de-stigmatizing mental health. This is a story of resilience, hard work, and what human beings can accomplish when they ignore what society says we cannot do. 

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Below are some of the topics discussed: 

■ Courtney’s personal battle with borderline personality disorder (her personal struggles with infidelity and drug use that led to her diagnosis) 

■ Why most mental health professionals hesitate to “come out” about having BPD (EUPD) themselves due to stigma and misinformation (including Marsha Linehan, creator of DBT therapy)

■ The REAL reason many mental health professionals refuse to treat people with BPD

■ ACEs (adverse childhood experiences), the research behind the term and how cumulative childhood stress can contribute to autoimmune diseases and chronic illness in adults

■ The mind-body connection and how disconnected we are to this ancient wisdom in the Western world

■ Extended panic attacks as a direct manifestation of childhood trauma in c-PTSD and BPD

■ Labels in mental health and how they become our cages and barriers (the problem with the term “neurotypical” 

■ Chronic lying in BPD (trying to be someone we’re not to make desperate attempts at connection)

■ Existential thoughts and feelings of emptiness

■ Spiritual starvation and how it contributes to the development of severe and chronic mental health issues 

■ The problem with the term “personality disorder”

■ Fear of abandonment and the constant need for sexual and emotional validation

■ Prescribed harm: the issue with overprescribing psychiatric medications and the lack of discussion around withdrawal symptoms

■ Questions to ask potential therapists when you have BPD to ensure they are best equipped to help you

■ Advice for teens who think they might have BPD 

■ Advice for anyone newly diagnosed with BPD

RESOURCES:

Take this quiz to find your ACE score

Interview with psychiatrist Andrew Twardon, director for intensive treatment of personality disorders at Mount Sinai West, NYC who believes we should do away with the term "personality disorder" and replace it with "interpersonal vulnerabilities."

CONNECT WITH COURTNEY: 

https://www.thetruthdoctor.com/about-dr-courtney-tracy

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