Student to tackle mental health taboo by revealing personal struggle

“My aim is to stamp out the stigma of mental health problems by tackling the taboo of borderline personality disorder.”

VIDEO: Student to tackle mental health taboo by revealing personal struggle

by Lauren Hirst, Reporter

A DETERMINDED student from Great Sankey is on a mission to tackle the taboo of borderline personality disorder (BPD) by helping others to better understand the mental health condition.

Rachael Johnston recently featured on ITV’s Granada Reports’ Fixers series – a campaign that gives young people a voice to talk about their own experiences to raise awareness of issues which are important to them.

The brave 23-year-old hopes that by speaking about her own struggles will challenge the many misconceptions out there about BPD and encourage those in need to seek help.

“You can’t catch a mental health condition by talking about it but you would think that is possible considering how little people talk about it,” said the University of Chester student.

After years of her disorder being unrecognised by professionals, Rachael was finally diagnosed with BPD aged 19 – a condition which causes her to experience a range of emotions including severe mood swings, paranoia and anxiety.

READ THE ARTICLE