My name is Karen and I am a 30 year old Female. I am sufferer and the family member of other sufferers.

I'm a 30 year old married woman with no children. I was diagnosed with both Panic and GA Disorders at age 19 and have offered internet support on the topic in the past. I was diagnosed BPD two months ago. My diagnoses of GAD and Panic affected my life severely, I was at one point agoraphobic, through the aide of medication, CBT, and my own inner strength and will to combat it, I am now completely free of the Agoraphobia, though I do still occasionally require medication for the anxiety itself. This affected my family life in that there was a lack of understanding and education on my family's part and they merely thought 'well, I get anxious too, so what?'. I have read many, many books on the subject (Hope and Help for Your Nerves, Coping with Panic: A Drug Free Approach to Dealing with Anxiety, Overcoming Panic, Anxiety and Phobias. I am well read on the medications used to treat these afflictions (Benzodiazepines, SSRI's etc). Through my own personal journey, I consider myself well educated and well read on the subject.

My husband and I suspected I might be BPD before the diagnosis was formally made, I fit 8 of the 9 criteria used in the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. I experience dissociation, intermittent self mutilation, angry outbursts, manipulation, confinement, with the strongest symptom being trust/abandonment. Being BPD has placed a huge strain on my marriage and on myself. There are not a lot of resources, in my part of the world, that deal with this affliction as the stigma attached is still great. Being given what most pdoctors consider a 'wastebasket diagnosis' is hard to deal with for both myself and my husband. Being that BPD is episodic in nature, it's been a roller coaster for both as we struggle to find triggers and learn to avoid them.

My email is: kdoe@shaw.ca