Stigma unfair to those with mental illness

Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the newer recognized illnesses, but is estimated to affect 2 to 5 percent of Americans.

Stigma unfair to those with mental illness

DESPITE STIGMA, THE MENTALLY ILL ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE VICTIMS OF CRIME THAN PERPETRATORS.

Kaitlin Durbin

MANSFIELD – Jennifer Broderick was in her early 20s the first time she was caught stealing. She can’t remember what she took. Stuff was just stuff.

It was only the act of stealing that satisfied her urges, and it didn’t matter that it was against the law.

More than a decade later, Broderick’s psychiatrist told her depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and strong borderline personality traits were behind her erratic impulses, which at times caused criminal behavior.

For most of her life, people had assumed she was just “overly emotional.”

Many others are like Broderick, slapped with overgeneralized labels without understanding the underlying illness that brings out the unintended behavior.

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