Why I posted on DID on a site dedicated to Borderline Personalty Disorder

I posted the link to Herschel Walker and DID for a reason. I recently came across Dr. Leland Heller’s comment on his Biological Unhappiness site. Here is an excerpt:

While DID (a.k.a.. “multiple personality disorder”) is not uncommon, I have seen a few. They all also have the BPD. I view the DID as what happens when even psychosis no longer protects against crushing pain.

I find this quite interesting. He seems to be saying that when certain behaviors, including psychotic behavior and BPD-like disassociative  behaviors, are no longer effective to reduce crushing pain, DID can develop to protect the person from the pain. In other words, I read this as a “pain-control” spectrum issue with DID on the far end of the spectrum. I wouldn’t say that BPD is on the other end, because I think it’s probably closer to the DID end than substance abuse (in absence of BPD)  to manage pain.

Certain people have, for whatever reason, an inhibited ability to manage their pain and (I think it’s clear) more (emotional) pain than the “average” person. This pain IMO is a combination of a biological propensity to dysregulated emotions and an invalidating environment. I don’t think most Non-BPs intend to be invalidating, but I think most people are invalidating when faced with dysregulated emotional states. They (including parents, friends and partners) just have no idea what to do. The typical reaction is to tell the other person that they are “too emotional” or it’s “not that big a deal” or they should just “get over it.” All of these responses are invalidating to the emotional reaction of the other person. They don’t help a person learn to self-soothe and, ultimately, that is one of the goals of recovering from BPD.

Related posts:

1. Four reasons bipolar disorder is accepted and borderline personality disorder is not
2. Emotions and Borderline Personality Disorder
3. Could this be the first medication for Borderline Personality Disorder?
4. Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder from WHYY
5. BPD Myth Busting: 7 common myths about Borderline Personality Disorder
6. Ten signs of possible Borderline Personality Disorder in children
7. A primer on Emotional Dysregulation and its role in Borderline Personality Disorder
8. Borderline Personality Disorder and Migraine Headaches
9. People with Borderline Personality Disorder over diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder
10. Pain, Borderline Personality Disorder, Emotional Lability and Opiate Abuse

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