QUESTION:

I would very much like to know if it is my fault that I have BPD? I was first diagnosed as possibly having this disorder at 13 but my doctor at the time said they couldn’t make a diagnosis until I was an adult. I am 19 now and I want to know if it is my fault I have this disorder.

DR. HELLER'S ANSWER:

Absolutely not! No one with the BPD caused their illness and were powerless to prevent it. Please be totally reassured by that remark. I believe that as strongly as I believe we need to breathe air! You have enough to do for recovery to also have to overcome a false belief that it's your fault too. Believing it's your fault doesn't make it your fault, anymore than believing you're a giraffe makes you a giraffe!

Even though it's not your fault, you are however totally responsible to overcome it and get on with the business of a happy, productive and successful life - successful in every area of life. It is absolutely accomplishable for anyone who wants it enough to do the things that work.

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