My Name is Kathy and I have BPD is a fictionalized account of a daughter’s struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder based on real events in her life. She speaks in the first person, but these are her thoughts as perceived and verbalized by her father and the author. Kathy’s own words are only those that are quoted in the letters, emails, and greeting cards within this book. Borderline Personality Disorder is defined by the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) as nine symptoms: 1) an intense fear of abandonment, 2) a pattern of intense relationships, 3) a distorted and unstable self-image, 4) impulsive self-destructive behaviors, 5) suicidal and self-harming behaviors, 6) extreme emotional swings, 7) chronic feelings of emptiness, 8) inappropriate, intense or uncontrollable anger, and 9) having severe dissociative symptoms. A diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder is established when five of the nine symptoms are observed. Signs of abnormal behavior and significant life events from birth through forty-nine agonizing years of Kathy’s life are visible. Is it nature or nurture? What specific behaviors should have raised concerns? What significant life events should have signaled traumatic stress? Would anybody other than a trained mental health expert been able to foresee a Borderline Personality Disorder victim? Borderline Personality Disorder has only been officially recognized by mental health professionals since 1980. Reading about Kathy’s life you may feel that many signs of BPD were missed. Life is an interesting and challenging journey. Everyone encounters a multitude of incidents and events in their lifetime filled with happiness, love, friendship, sadness, pain, and suffering. The hope of Kathy’s story is that it helps someone to see a pattern of behavior that is worthy of seeking professional help.
