Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex disorder experienced by 2-6% of the population. BPD is often misunderstood by the public and many mental health professionals.
People with Borderline have ongoing difficulty relating to other people and to the world around them. This can be very distressing for the person and for those who care for them.
Symptoms often include deep feelings of insecurity, constantly changing emotions, ruptured relationships, impulsiveness and sometimes self-harm. In it’s most serious form some people can experience psychotic episodes.
Sonia Neale is a motivational speaker who speaks on the topic of living with Borderline Personality Disorder. In this interview Sonia gives us a unique insight into the challenges and struggles of living with BPD.
Most importantly, Sonia shares a message of hope for people suffering from Borderline and is living proof that recovery from BPD is possible.
In this interview Sonia shares:
- What the lived experience of Borderline Personality Disorder is like.
- What is happening on a biological level for people with BPD.
- The causes of BPD.
- The importance of neuroplasticity and empathy when it comes to managing Borderline Personality.
- What she has found most helpful in her journey with BPD.
- The value of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
- Advice for family and friends of people with Borderline.
- What mistakes she has seen professionals making when working with BPD.
- Advice for practitioners who work with (or would like to work with) this population.
Links and resources mentioned in this episode:
- Are you an Australian registered mental health professional looking for clients? Join Australia Counselling
- The Foundations of Well-Being – online course with Rick Hanson PhD
- DSM V: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition: DSM-5 – Amazon
- Spectrum- The Personality Disorder Service for Victoria
- The Therapeutic Underbelly of Borderline Personality Disorder – PsychCentral
- Borderline Personality Disorder: Naked Therapy – PsychCentral
- www.SoniaNeale.com – website of Sonia Neale
- Click here to download the transcript of this interview.
About Sonia Neale:
Sonia Neale works as a Peer Support Worker at Uniting Care West, Perth. She is the author of two books, Bad Mother’s Revenge and Death by Teenager, and a former radio spot presenter with 720 ABC Perth. She is also a motivational speaker on living with Borderline Personality Disorder and regularly gives BPD focussed talks, presentations, education events and workshops from both a professional and a lived experience. Sonia is currently studying at Edith Cowan University towards a degree in psychology and counselling.
Sonia is the 2014 recipient of SANE Australia’s inaugural Barbara Hocking Fellowship. She recently travelled to the USA, UK and Canada to study and research organisations for the betterment of services and programmes for consumers, families and carers of people suffering from and affected by Borderline Personality Disorder. Find out more at www.sonianeale.com or click here to email her.
Listen to the audio with the player at the top of this post, or listen on SoundCloud, Stitcher Radio, or subscribe in iTunes.
