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One of my twitter followers posted the original Daily Star article about Amy Winehouse and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Of course, I’d had Amy on my Celebrities with Possible BPD list for many years. If you want to read all of my articles about Amy Winehouse click here. I have no idea why the title includes ‘Mental Illness’ in quotes. Maybe it was because they were quoting the relative or maybe it brings up the question as to whether BPD is an actual mental illness. Here is the text of the article (and my comments below):
TRAGIC AMY WINEHOUSE HAD ‘MENTAL ILLNESS’
TROUBLED Amy Winehouse suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness, a relative has revealed.
The talented soul singer could have been struck down by the little-known Borderline Personality Disorder.
Sufferers have feelings of anger, emptiness, shame and guilt and become emotionally volatile.
And it can also push them into substance abuse and eating disorders, both of which Amy succumbed to.
Yesterday a member of the Back To Black star’s family said: “It was never diagnosed, because unfortunately she would never agree to a proper diagnosis.
“I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve read on Borderline Personality Disorder it kind of fitted with her.”
Meanwhile Amy’s dad Mitch, 61, said he wished his daughter, who died in July aged 27, had sought counselling.
He said: “She never stopped trying.
“She hated the way she was when she was drunk and when she was ill.
“And you know, the way I look at it, she died trying.
“She didn’t give up. She died trying to make her- self better.”
This article, although short, points out several interesting things about people with BPD. Since there’s no guarantee she had it, I’m going to generalize a bit. First of all, it is tragic that BPD is “little known” because it is much more prevalent than bipolar disorder. The article says: “Sufferers have feelings of anger, emptiness, shame and guilt and become emotionally volatile. And it can also push them into substance abuse and eating disorders, both of which Amy succumbed to.” This is very true. A person in extreme emotional pain will do anything to stop the pain. The article ends with “She died trying to make her- self better.” I’d like to amend that statement to “She died trying to make feel her-self better.” That’s the nature of the disorder and that’s what many non-BPDs do not understand. It’s all about his/her feelings (IAAHF) and not about controlling, manipulating or calling for attention.
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Release date December 6, 2011.
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Well, duh. I had Amy Winehouse (RIP) at the top of my Celebrities with Possible BPD list for almost 4 years. Now the news media is reporting the possibility.
Amy Winehouse May Have Had a Mental Illness
Posted by Roberta Seldon on December 5, 2011 4:23 AM
Amy Winehouse may have been suffering from an obscure mental illness that ultimately led to her untimely demise, according to a report from the Daily Star.
According to the Star, Winehouse may have been suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder — a condition that leaves the individual emotionally volatile, with feelings of anger, guilt, shame and emptiness, thereby pushing him or her into eating disorders and substance abuse.
According to the Star, a family member said that the Grammy award-winning singer may have suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder. “It was never diagnosed, because unfortunately she would never agree to a proper diagnosis,” the Daily Star quoted a family member as saying. “I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve read on Borderline Personality Disorder it kind of fitted with her.”
Meanwhile, Winehouse’s father, 61-year-old Mitch Winehouse, told the Star he wished Amy would have sought counseling. “She never stopped trying. She hated the way she was when she was drunk and when she was ill,” the Daily Star quoted Mitch as saying.
“And you know, the way I look at it, she died trying.”
“She didn’t give up. She died trying to make herself better,” he added.
Before her death, I’d written about Amy Winehouse and my analysis of why she was very high on the BPD-o-meter. Here is an article from the NY Times about addiction that mentions both Amy Winehouse and Borderline Personality Disorder (but not as her having it). Here are some interesting quotes:
Clinicians have long been aware that patients with certain types of psychiatric illnesses — including mood, anxiety and personality disorders — are more likely to become addicts. According to the National Institute of Mental Health’s Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study, patients with mental health problems are nearly three times as likely to have an addictive disorder as those without.
Conversely, 60 percent of people with a substance abuse disorder also suffer from another form of mental illness. Still, it’s unclear whether addiction predisposes someone to mental illness, or vice versa.
Scientists do know that having a mental illness doesn’t just increase the chance of intermittent drug abuse; it also significantly raises the risk of outright dependence and addiction. The conventional wisdom is the link represents a form of “self-medication” — that is, people are using drugs long-term to medicate their own misery.
And of course, I can’t overlook this one:
Certain personality disorders also raise the odds of drug abuse and alcohol abuse. Narcissistic patients, who constantly battle feelings of inadequacy, are frequently drawn to stimulants, like cocaine, that provide a fleeting sense of power and self-confidence. People with borderline personality disorder, who struggle to control their impulses and anger, often resort to drugs and alcohol to soften their intolerable moods.
Maybe that is an interesting factor for understanding the difference between NPD and BPD. In my experience, those with BPD are usually drawn to benzos, alcohol, and opiates. In my poll about substance abuse over 75% of respondents said they have had problems with substance abuse. Because of the u-opioid study by Stanley and Siever (and others), it seem natural for borderlines to seek pain-squelching medications, illicit or not.
It appears that Amy Winehouse has joined the “dead at 27″ music crowd (Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, others). It’s sad and unfortunate. She was #1 on my BPD-o-meter because of her erratic behavior.
Singer Amy Winehouse Found Dead
London (CNN) — Singer Amy Winehouse was found dead at her apartment in London Saturday, the UK Press Association reported. She was 27.
London police said they were called to a home, which matches Winehouse’s address, Saturday afternoon in response to “a woman found deceased.”
“On arrival officers found the body of a 27-year-old female who was pronounced dead at the scene,” a police statement said.
“At this early stage it is being treated as unexplained,” police said.
The “Rehab” singer had a history of battling drugs and alcohol and recently left a British rehabilitation program that a representative said was intended to prepare her for scheduled European concerts.
But she cut short the European concert tour in Belgrade, Serbia, last month after she staggered around the stage and stumbled through several songs.
Audience members booed Winehouse off the stage that night just a few songs into the first concert of the tour.
Winehouse rep Tracey Miller told CNN at the time that the singer “agreed with management that she cannot perform to the best of her ability and will return home.”
“Everyone involved wishes to do everything they can to help her return to her best and she will be given as long as it takes for this to happen,” representative Chris Goodman said in a statement in May.
Winehouse’s throaty vocals brought the British musician stardom in 2007, but her off-stage life gained her notoriety. The lyrics of her songs, especially the hit “Rehab,” chronicled her troubled life.
The song, in which she sang “They tried to make me go to rehab, I said no, no, no,” helped form the public’s view of Winehouse.
“I don’t care enough about what people think of me to conform to anything,” she said in a CNN interview.
Winehouse, born in London in 1983, became a picture of a tattooed teenage rebel after she was expelled from a prestigious performing arts school.
Her first album, “Frank,” debuted in 2003, when the singer-songwriter was 19.
International success came with her 2007 album “Back To Black,” which in included the single “Rehab.”
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything about Amy Winehouse or any celebrity for that matter. I saw this article and thought I’d post the info. Sounds like she has some impulse control issues.
Amy Winehouse was spotted buying a bottle of vodka on her way to treatment at The Priory hospital in Southgate.
The troubled and talent singer, Amy Winehouse, made headlines yet again this week after purchasing a bottle of Vodka from a local retailer. Winehouse who is known for hits including ‘Valerie’ and ‘Rehab’ was spotted entering Meadway Food and Wine in North London’s Southgate area where she bought and downed a bottle of Smirnoff. The star, who has been the focus of considerable media attention following an ongoing battle with drink and drugs, was on her way to The Priory where she is being treated for her addictions.
An onlooker, who saw the events in question, confessed to being stunned by Winehouse who slurred her words as she entered the shop premises at 12.30pm last Wednesday. “I was shocked to see her buy vodka so early in the day”, said a witness, “and even more shocked to see her knock it straight back.” Other customers at the site also reported hearing the singer vomit before walking out of the shop whilst announcing that she had “puked” all over the bathroom. “I felt really sorry for the staff”, said a source.
A spokesman for the 27 year old living legend confirmed that the singer was in the area to undergo a period of rehabilitation at the private mental health institution. A Statement issued on behalf of the star insisted that Winehouse had not been sick but was simply making a “joke”. “Amy’s embarked on treatment at The Priory,” the statement concluded. Fans of the singer will be hoping to see the star on the road to recovery in the very near future.
The only reason I posted this here is because Britney Spears actually started my foray into discussing Borderline Personality Disorder a nd celebrities. I only do it because I would like for some celeb to come out of the closet (or “off the couch”) and just admit that they have the disorder. To me it would go a long way to removing the stigma. The only one who has come close is Megan Fox. She mentioned borderline when referring to herself, but she has not been diagnosed – well, not that we know of. Anyway, old Mel Gibson seems to have some sort of disorder and some people have mentioned borderline. Now we have 2 potential BPD celebs talking with one another. I have to say though, Britney Spears certainly got the right (and skillful) people around her. We have not heard much about her “bad behavior” in years. Good for her!
Mel Gibson seems to have found the most unlikely counsellor in his attempt to regain his reputation and it is no other than the troubled pop-star Britney Spears, media reports said.
Gibson’s reputation has been badly damaged following the release of several tape recordings which purportedly feature him hurling abuse and vile threats at ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva during phone calls.
The Toxic singer, 28, has been telling her friends that Mel Gibson, 54, has been pouring his heart out to her — confiding that he fears for his sanity and is convinced he’s destroyed his once-hot career.
The In Touch magazine quoted a friend of Britney as saying that they speak on the phone all the time, usually late at night.
Her friends also say that Britney is just returning the favour because apparently Gibson went out of his way to help her when she went through her own breakdown.
Britney’s friend said that Britney wants people to give him a second chance — just like he gave her one when everyone else turned away.
As many of you know May is Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month. In 2008, I posted the text of the Congressional bill that declared this. Click on that link to read the text of the bill. One of the things that struck me in this bill was this:
Whereas BPD is inheritable and is exacerbated by environmental factors;
Unfortunately, the sponsor of this bill “Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia” is no longer in the Congress. I wonder why he proposed and sponsored such a bill? I wonder if he has been affected by BPD in his family. I guess I need to do some Googling to see if I can discover the reason.
May 18th is also the 30th anniversary of the suicide of Ian Curtis. I wrote about him some time ago and have had a big uptick in searches on him this month.
An article “clarifying” the latest Courtney Love custody decision…
Courtney Love in wake of losing custody of Frances Bean: ‘terrible influences, pure evil’
By Vicki Hyman/The Star-Ledger
December 15, 2009, 10:29AM
 Courtney and Frances Bean Courtney Love has left a string of only occasionally coherent messages on her Facebook page in the wake of a Los Angeles court decision to give temporary custody of Frances Bean Cobain to the girl’s paternal grandmother: “cruelty to children and people too young to understand that under that rock isnt gold its only,.,,,,, utah on steroids” and “terrible influences, pure evil. and a poor baby caught inside a trap”.
That clears things up.
Love’s lawyer tells People that Frances Bean, Love’s daughter with dead rock icon Kurt Cobain, wanted to live with her grandmother, and the judge’s decision should not be taken as confirmation that Love has had a drug relapse.
“Courtney’s been clean for years and is perfectly fine,” Keith A. Fink says. “Frances is 17 and a strong-willed child, and this is a decision she made on her own. No matter what, Courtney loves her daughter more than anything in the world.”
Frances Bean has reportedly always been close with her grandmother, who had custody during a particularly messy period (and that’s saying something) of Love’s life in 2003 and 2004.
It’s been a while since I wrote a post about a celebrity with possible BPD. To see past posts about celebrities with BPD (possible but not for sure) click here. I saw a picture a few days ago of Courtney Love. Geez, someone give the girl a pound cake and make sure she eats it. While Courtney herself says it’s the financial stress, it sure looks a lot like an eating disorder. Here is an article about it…
Yikes! Skinny Courtney Love looks anorexic; weight loss sparks concern over frail framed star
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Updated Wednesday, June 24th 2009, 1:22 PM
What happened to Courtney Love?
The former Hole singer, visiting a midtown NYC bank Monday, shocked onlookers with a scary-skinny frame that suggests the star’s yo-yo dieting may be out of hand once again.
Love, clad in tight grey pants and a sleeveless tunic, was a shadow of the curvaceous star who once walked the red carpet for movies like “The People vs. Larry Flynt.”
She began dieting in 2006 to lose the weight she put on after kicking her drug addiction, losing 52 pounds on a regimen of protein shakes, fish and vegetables, according to London’s Daily Mail.
Love joked onstage about an “eating disorder” during a 2007 performance — but later insisted she was only kidding.
The 44-year-old widow of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain is currently being sued by American Express over alleged unpaid credit.
OK, so Courtney rings in on the following BPDish symptoms:
 Courtney Love's a Skeleton
- Eating Disorder
- Self-Injury
- Substance Abuse
- Conflicted Relationships
- Inappropriate Anger
- Paranoia
- Shame
Alrighty then! I did an analysis of the keyword searches that reached the ATSTP blog. Unfortunately, the readers are searching on celebrity-related BPD searches more and more. People trying to figure out which celebrity has BPD (or self-harms) represented a whopping 68% of my total searches in the past 30 days of those search strings that occurred 5 times or more. It is too cumbersome for me to do analysis of more than those (there were 3800+ of those and 5800+ of all search strings). Of the celebrity-related searches, I created a little graph (below). As you can see, Angelina Jolie wins the “borderline bonanza” with 18%+ of the searches, followed by Britney Spears and Kurt Cobain. Others* include Pete Doherty, Hitler, Courtney Love and Heather Mills. The runners-up were Amy Winehouse and Princess Diana. General means there was no name mentioned, just “celebrity BPD” or something like that.
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