listen108

Not OP but I'm a therapist and two of my classmates were diagnosed with BPD. They have both done years of therapy to learn to cope and they are amazing therapists, and if I knew someone with BPD that needed a therapist I would absolutely recommend them as they will be more inspiring and empathetic/relatable for people struggling with similar issues.

That being said, they have to be choosy about what clients they take on, for example men with a lot of anger might not be a good fit for them. One told me she's referred clients that were too triggering for her.

Finally I can say that the best therapists I've had were the ones that have had the most personal challenges. I find them more grounded and relatable and able to connect with me when I'm in a dark place. The best therapists I know are the ones that have been the most challenged in life.

I'm a psychotherapist and have my personal view on this. It's firstly because our culture is isolating and there's a lack of integration. For example, there's no context for us to routinely discuss our feelings with members of our community. Sure it happens, but it's not integrated into a cultural norm, you generally have to be outgoing to engage with others, while social engagements were often built into other cultures.

With the explosion of culture and media worldwide, we've generally gained more freedom and access to knowledge and information but lost structure and identity and purpose. The idea that you can be anything is on the one hand liberating and on the other hand anxiety inducing. Being born to a family of farmers and knowing you will be a farmer is limiting but also there's security in it. You're not wondering if you should be more successful or doing something more important, you know your purpose and you can focus on being good at what you do.

I don't think the breakdown of culture is bad, I think it was necessary, but we're in the growing pains now, there is no set map, no clear direction, we have to really contemplate who we are and what we want to be in the world, what world we want to contribute to and create through our actions.

Of course this is all daunting and we typically default to seeking pleasure and comfort. We live in a materialistic world, where we measure our lives by our status, money, and possessions. We need a radical shift in values where we can start to cultivate community and put more priority on relationships and emotional wellbeing.

Could just be a different context. Most psychotherapists aren't qualified to diagnose, and so you can have undiagnosed BPD and a psychotherapist can see the patterns and treat it. There never needs to be a diagnosis for treatment to happen, unless meds are required.

Also diagnosis is weird, and still developing. For example, Complex PTSD is not in the DSM and therefore not an official diagnosis, even though it's a well researched disorder. BPD is becoming a lot more recognized, it wasn't nearly as well understood a decade ago. I'm no expert on these things and the reality is that a lot of clinicians aren't either.

A lot of psychologists will spend only around 8 hours in graduate school studying BPD, in some programs even less. This is not a lot of time to understand such a complex disorder, and many clinicians say that you can't really understand it until you actually work with it. The reality is that humans are complex and there isn't enough time in any program to develop a reliable expertise in all the disorders, which is why people will often specialize in one or a few.

A common theory of the increase in autism is because of mating habits... Essentially people with more autistic traits having children together. This is why autism is higher in silicon valley, the world of tech draws a certain type of person with certain behavioural traits. This theory is explored in depth in the book NeuroTribes: the Legacy of Autism and the future of neurodiversity.

Brightmind is currently giving away free one year memberships: https://www.brightmind.com/selfcare

The app was developed with and based on the teachings of Shinzen Young, who has over 5 decades experience and collaborates with neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Yale, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Vermont. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinzen_Young

Also, users at r/meditation developed a free app: https://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation/comments/g4ouhg/the_freeforever_meditation_app_is_finally_out/

edit: getting some downvotes but just want to say, I'm a longtime meditation teacher and don't work for Brightmind, but I have worked for other meditation apps that I won't mention as it's not my intention to self-promote, just wanting to share resources that I think are good and will be helpful (and free).

Insight Timer is also a great app that has lots of free content (though there's a paid option to get access to more content).

10% Happier is also giving away free subscriptions to healthcare workers, you just have to email them and let them know. It's a great app with a lot of great teachers

Sam Harris has said in the past that he will give away free membership to his meditation app Waking Up if you just email and say you can't afford it. I have never used that app but heard it's great.