Her Borderline Personality Disorder Story

When we met nearly 20 years ago, it was hard for me to determine if this girl was anything other than a typical chick like any other I knew going out to the popular bars to hangout with friends and blow off steam. She was in her early 20's and going to college, worked, and shared an apartment with a roommate. I worked at a chemical plant, rotating 12 hour shifts. Actually, they were 12.5 hour shifts as we were required to shower after we gave shift turnovers. My drive to and from work was half an hour so now we are looking at 13.5 hours dedicated on work days/nights.

I was also pursuing another degree at the time, going to school full time. It was tough but I managed to work and go to school full time and maintain face time with family and friends. Then along came Poe. She approached me at a dive bar in the hood one night and said she thought I was someone else she knew. I brushed it off. I was probably smashed because she said I was rude about it. I saw her again at another bar, another week. We exchanged no dialogue this time, she said she noticed me there surrounded by a harem of ladies. This one was a nicer establishment - my friends and I did like to mix it up. Obviously, so did she and her friends. Then on another random night, a weeknight, I saw her at the dive-est dive bar. She started to dance with me and from that moment on we have been in each other's lives.

Back then, I had no idea she had borderline personality disorder (bpd). I thought she was moody. I know I probably was a handful myself, I had a crazy schedule. I was always tired. So I didn't judge. I enjoyed seeing her, she was a good hang. I was very attracted to her. We enjoyed a lot of the same music, we both liked going to Blockbuster or the theater, and we both liked going out to eat. We hit all the chains but for the most part we went to a Mexican restaurant down the street from her place. I remember this was a time that people our age would use UFC fight night as a reason to go out to a bar and watch the fights. I was a big fan of Forrest Griffin back then.

We hung out, then stopped hanging out probably a hundred times. Sometimes we stopped talking more than one time in the same week. Apparently, our arguments stemmed from my commitment to hanging out and not showing up. This is according to one source - Poe. I do not necessarily disagree. One time after an argument, she disclosed that she had mental illness. I remember thinking that to be a contributing factor to so many recent events. I felt in that moment that I understood her more. However, I was too preoccupied with my own life obligations. I did not pursue further understanding and just brushed that off as well too. To me, a mental illness sufferer is the same as a sufferer of a physical ailment. A person who uses a cane to walk because of a bad leg to me experienced a similar amount of problems in life as someone who is bipolar, for instance. It took a while to learn how wrong I was. Each person's physical, mental, emotional health can be at different levels of manageability. Everyone is unique.

Her bpd story is still being told. We have more episodes coming up. I look forward to them as I keep learning new things along the way. BPD symptoms, bpd treatments, day to day life with bpd, and bpd in relationships are what we are trying to cover. If you are still reading this post, maybe you should give us a listen. If you have suggestions, we are happy to receive them.

From one black sheep to another, "Until next time".