Come join me?

Come join me?

A Case for Hope – Borderline Personality Disorder: The Good Prognosis Diagnosis
Marie-Paule de Valdivia, MBA, MSW,
Past Clinician Intern at Yale Psychiatric Hospital, Board Member and Family
Connections/Teleconnections Facilitator NEA– BPD
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is more prevalent than we think, more diffi cult to live with than we imagine, yet more hopeful in its outcomes than we realize. A serious mental illness that centers on the inability to regulate emotions, BPD is characterized by intense anger, chaotic relationships and impulsivity. The estimated 14 million adults with BPD struggle with symptoms that include suicide attempts, cooccurring disorders, shame and feelings of emptiness. There is, however, great hope for recovery for those who are accurately diagnosed, and eff ective treatments provide a signifi cant reduction in symptoms for nearly 80 percent of those with BPD. Marie-Paule de Valdivia will share information about this still misunderstood mental illness, the importance of an accurate diagnosis, eff ective treatments utilizing Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and the value of family education through organizations like the National Education Alliance for
Borderline Personality Disorder (NEA-PBD) and NAMI.
Marie-Paule will also reveal how, through the challenge of confronting her daughter’s BPD and seeking a pathway to recovery for her family, she embraced a tide of change in her
own life, allowing it to carry her forward into a new career.