For my 100th Post – House Passes Bill Making May BPD Awareness Month
House Clears Resolution on Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness
April 2, 2008
By a vote of 417-0, the House of Representatives on April 1 passed H.Res. 1005, urging recognition of Borderline Personality Disorder.
Here is the text of the bill:
HRES 1005 EH
H. Res. 1005
InH. RES. 1005
Supporting the goals and ideals of Borderline Personality Awareness Month.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 27, 2008Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia (for himself and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
RESOLUTION Supporting the House of Representatives, U. S.,April 1, 2008.
Whereas borderline personality disorder (BPD) affects the regulation of emotion and afflicts approximately 2 percent of the general population;
Whereas BPD is a leading cause of suicide, as an estimated 10 percent of individuals with this disorder take their own lives;
Whereas BPD usually manifests itself in adolescence and early adulthood;
Whereas symptoms of BPD include self-injury; rage; substance abuse; destructive impulsiveness; a pattern of unstable emotions, self-image, and relationships; and may result in suicide;
Whereas BPD is inheritable and is exacerbated by environmental factors;
Whereas official recognition of BPD is relatively new, and diagnosing it is often impeded by lack of awareness and frequent co-occurrence with other conditions, such as depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, anxiety, and eating disorders;
Whereas despite its prevalence, enormous public health costs, and the devastating toll it takes on individuals, families, and communities, BPD only recently has begun to command the attention it requires;
Whereas it is essential to increase awareness of BPD among people suffering from this disorder, their families, mental health professionals, and the general public by promoting education, research, funding, early detection, and effective treatments; and
Whereas the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder and the National Alliance on Mental Illness have requested that Congress designate May as Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month as a means of educating our Nation about this disorder, the needs of those suffering from it, and its consequences: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the goals and ideals of Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month.
7 Comments
Bon Dobbs
Making a comment on my own post – hehe. I just wanted to point out that the bill says BPD is “inheritable” – wow what a leap. I hope it gets re-named and set to Axis I now.
Bon
Sunshine4Shadows
Wow, if there was more recognition for bpd, maybe eventually i can stop hiding it. But i personally think they should have put “possibly inheritable” instead of “inheritable”. People who show symptoms of it may be in denial and say, “Well, it’s inherited and i have no one in my family with it, so I can’t possibly have it”.
Jackal
Glad to see BPD getting some recognition. Seems having a diagnosis of bi-polar or schizophrenia is acceptable but not so if it’s a diagnosis of BPD. I have read that BPD is considered the ‘leprosy’ of mental illness and that psychiatrists don’t treat patients with BPD but ‘survive’ them… how does that kind of attitude from so-called proferssionals help me??? It makes me even more ashamed and guilty.
Bon Dobbs
Jackal,
Could it be that no celebrity has come out and said “I have BPD!” There is no public face and the face in the Internet is usually a negative one. I would hope that someone would come out and say “I have BPD and it’s not that bad… it’s manageable… I’m not evil.” I think also a part of it is that BPD is considered “bad behavior” while bipolar is organic (even though BPD is probably a LOT organic too).
Bon
Bon Dobbs
After reading my own comment, I have decided to write an entire post about this issue. I’m not vacation right now and busy with family stuff. Post will come soon…
Bon
SystemsThinker
Thanks for your work to publicize this. I think this is a great opportunity this month to bring more attention to BPD and how much of an impact it has in our society. Like you I’m using this month to get the word out.
I started by writing a post:
Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month: Discussing, Understanding & Publicizing an Under-Recognized Epidemic
I’m hoping we can use the tools provided to give this issue more publicity. Thanks for your work!
Bon Dobbs
Well, thanks for your input. I try to increase awareness of BPD and the issues involved, especially with respect to the Non-BP’s – the family members, spouses and friends of people with BPD. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding out there and I try my best to correct and clarify those issue. Thanks!
Bon