“I didn't have writer's block, I had living block... It's deadly for a comedian not to feel funny anymore” (Glionna). As he stands upon the stage today, inducing the audience to laugh at a variety of topics, not many people would differentiate between Doug Ferrari, who has Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and a normal comedian. With therapy and the taking of Prozac for his depression, Ferrari can reatin the preponderance of the symptoms from occurring while at a showing and when he is with his wife. Borderline Personality Disorder is a disease which tears at the relationships of those the suffers hold close.
After his sudden emergence into fame, Doug Ferrari was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and soon fought to acquire
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his normal life back. When his fame increased, his symptoms of BPD divulged into his life. First, Ferrari was diagnosed with depression, which he found difficult to believe. As recounted by the Marin Independent Journal, Ferrari recalls stating “How can I have depression?... I'm a comedian.” Borderline Personality Disorder is generally misdiagnosed as its symptoms- including depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure among countless others. Doug Ferrari, not believing he had depression like the doctors diagnosed, Ferrari sought other diagnoses, and according to Bettina Adragna, “From 1994 to 1998, Ferrari saw a series of doctors, some of whom were 'quite bad'... [i]n 1998, he was diagnosed with... BPD” (For Ferrari). The appearance of his diagnoses was not met satisfactorily with others. Ferrari quickly lost gigs due to his disorder, causing tensions on his money. As Ferrari stated in the article “For Ferrari, humor not only is his life, it saved his life,” Ferrari recounts the disorder as “like coming out as being gay, only a lot worse” (Adragna). With Ferrari not able to preform, his home life became worse. In late 1998, Ferrari began to live in the Tenderloin, the first step to his recovery. When he and his wife, Elizabeth, separated, Ferrari lived for a short time in the Tenderloin, a slump in the San Francisco area, where Ferrari began his reemergence into society. Abandoning his career after knowing the diagnosis, Ferrari moved to a one-night-stand hotels inside the bad part of the city. As stated in “Comedian:Take My Life, Please,” Ferrari describes the Tenderloin as “a concentration camp for the mentally ill” (Glionna). The neighborhood, with its human excretions on doors and in the streets, was where Ferrari first received treatment for his disorder. A young man named Trent Hayward wrote an article about Ferrari and prompted the San Francisco Chronicle to publish a similar writing on the first page. As stated by David Mattingly, Terry Messman wrote “He[Hayward] listened, and realized this guy [Ferrari] was telling him the truth, that he was a world-renowned comedian on the level of a John Belushi... or Robin Williams... That's the level of a comedian that we had living on the streets... being ignored by everyone” (Melisso). With the story published in a major newspaper, Ferrari received helpers for his recovery. At first, no medications or therapy were adequate; however, according to David Mattingly, Ferrari indicated his recovery by “I got into psychological therapy and anger management. I got on psych medications, so if you don't like my speech tonight, I don't give a d... I'm on Prozac” ( Melisso). While using his disorder as a punch line, Ferrari raises awareness for BPD by hosting many charity events and writing his own memoirs. Along with Doug Ferrari, many other celebrities have the disorder and there are numerous books and movies about the disorder. Famous actors, singers, and other famous people, are known to have Borderline Personality Disorder, and, amongst the famous people, there are multiple books and movies telling of people with BPD.
Unlike Ferrari, who has a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde existence” for his disorder, famous actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan, and Marilyn Monroe, were more open with their disorders. Among other famous people, Princess Diana, Courtney Love, Amy Winehouse, and Britney Spears also had Borderline Personality Disorder. According to Out of the Fog, some movies which portray Borderline Personality Disorder are A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Fatal Attraction (1987), Girl, Interrupted (1999), Mommie Dearest (1981), Single White Females (1992), and The Wizard of Oz (1944) (BPD). Mommie Dearest is a biographic movie about the actress Joan Crawford who simultaneously revealed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Along with movies, many autobiographies and biographies depicted the traits for Borderline Personality Disorder. Such books, such, as brought to light by Nora Villagran, as Doug Ferrari's memoir Blood on the Clown Suit (The Laughter). Ferrari's memoir reverse time back to his not-so-glory days and brings awareness to others with the disorder. Other such books, such as, depicted by "Books About BPD,” are Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified by Robert O. Friedel, The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide by Alex Chapman and Kim Gratz, Princes Charming and a Glass Sister: A Curious Memoir: 61 Years of Life with Borderline Personality Disorder (Bpd) By Naomi Oona Murthy, and I Hate You - Don't Leave Me By Jerold J. Kreisman and Hal Straus (NEABPD). Borderline Personality Disorder is a disorder which is often overlooked, but incredibly prevalent in the United States and the
World. In conclusion, Borderline Personality Disorder is a silent killer, one which merges with its symptoms and is misdiagnosed. There are famous actors, singers, and comedians who are impacted by the disorder. Numerous books and movies depict the disorder, some autobiographical, some biographical, and others fictional. Thus, Borderline Personality Disorder which plucks reliant comforting people and reveals true strength through adversity.
“It was the best, worst thing to happen to me.” claims Ian Keith Tyson of his military career. Mr. Tyson is a veteran Marine who served in both Operation Iraqi Freedom (later renamed Operation New Dawn) and the war in Afghanistan from the years 2009-2011. Born in Boston, Massachusetts on July 31st,1985, he eventually enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 24. After interviewing with each individual branch, he decided that the Marines simply fit. This was a decision that would permanently alter his life, for the better.
“No wire hangers, ever!” Joan Crawford spoke to Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest the movie. The scene where Joan says this is just one example of her having one or more psychological disorder. Psychological disorders are behavior patterns that cause a person to anguish. Also, they may cause a person to obstruct the capability to manage everyday activities (Rathus, 2010). Joan displays many psychological disorders, but the most visible are bipolar disorder, histrionic personality disorder, narcissistic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.
People with Borderline Personality Disorder tend to view the world as simple as possible. People who view the world like this, confuse the actions of others. (Hoermann et al, 2005) Recurrent thoughts about their relationships with others, lead them to experience extreme emotional reactions, great agony which they have a hard time controlling, which would result in engaging in self-destructive behaviors. Diagnosing a patient with this disorder can be challenging which is why is it is labeled as one of the difficult ones to diagnose. (Hoermann et al, 2005)
For centuries, war has broken families and caused scarring both physical and mental. Consequently, the futility of war has been universally accepted and Bruce Dawes powerful poems ‘Weapons Training’ and ‘Homecoming’ reveal this. Dawe creates an Australian insight to the training and consequences of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was a long conflict Beginning in 1954 and ending in 1975. More than 3 million people were killed in the tragic War. Dawes ‘Weapons Training’ demonstrates the guidance of an abusive Sergeant whilst ‘Homecoming’ illustrates the shocking consequences and impact of war. Bruce Dawes powerful war poems, paired together, showcase a journey. One filled with harsh and vulgar training whilst the other proves that even training
An estimated 1.6%-5.9% of the adult population in the United States has BPD, with nearly 75% of the people who are diagnosed being women. Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder include Frantic efforts to avoid being abandoned by friends and family, Unstable personal relationships that alternate between idealizations, Distorted and unstable self-image, Impulsive behaviors that can have dangerous outcomes, Suicidal and self-harming behavior, Periods of intense depressed mood, irritability or anxiety lasting a couple hours/days, Chronic feelings of boredom or emptiness, Inappropriate, intense or uncontrollable anger - often followed by shame and guilt, and Dissociative feelings. The three main factors that could cause this mental illness are Genetics, Environmental factors, and Brain function. This illness can only be diagnosed by a mental health professional after a series of interviews with the patient and family/friends of the patient. The patient must also have at least five of the nine symptoms of this illness in order to be diagnosed. The most common treatment for this illness is some form of psychotherapy. Some other treatment options are to prescribe medications and if needed a short-term
In this century, mental health have become just as important as physical health. Abnormal psychology is the category of psychology that explains each mental illness that human suffer from. In the case of “Disco Di”, Diana Miller is about a young girl who is registered in a psychiatric hospital for treatment for exhibiting traits that are associated with a mental illness after a long period of challenges. She is diagnosed with major depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder. Is this the correct diagnosis?
Borderline Personality Disorder in “Girl Interrupted” The movie, “Girl Interrupted,”is about a teenage girl named Susanna Kaysen who has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. People with Borderline Personality Disorder “are often emotionally unstable, impulsive, unpredictable, irritable, and anxious. They are also prone to boredom. Their behavior is similar to that of individuals with schizotypal personality disorder, but they are not as consistently withdrawn and bizarre” (Santrock, 2003).
Caesar Rodney was born in Dover, Delaware on October 7, 1728. He was the son of Caesar Rodney and Judy Crawford. In his younger years he was tutored by his parents, but he never received any formal education. When he was only 17, his father died and he was put under the care of Nicholas Ridgely. Ridgely was the clerk of the peace in Kent County and this is where Caesar's life in politics began. In 1755 The royal government named Rodney the High Sheriff of Kent County. He did very well in this position to climb up the political ladder and eventually became justice of the peace. When he was 30 years old he was elected as a representative in the legislature of Newcastle. He then took the seat as a representative to the upper house
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has been a disability surrounded by stigma and confusion for a long time, and the time to bring awareness and public understanding to this disability is long overdue. The disability itself often gets misdiagnosed as an other disability since the symptoms overlap with many other disabilities (NIMH, n.d, para 16), or worse case scenario, a medical professional refuses to diagnose or treat the disability due to the belief that these people are untreatable because of a negative schema about the disability and clinical controversies on whether BPD is a legitimate diagnosis (Hoffman, 2007) . However, after nearly three decades of research, it has come to light that BPD does indeed exist, does have a good prognosis for remission with treatment (BPD Overview, n.d, para 3), and that there are many treatment options available such as three different types of psychotherapy (Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Schema-focused therapy), omega-3 fatty acid supplements, and/or medications (NIMH, n.d, para 29, 30, 31, and 39, 41). Even though the disability started as a psychoanalytic colloquialism for untreatable neurotics (Gunderson, 2009), BPD is very treatable and doesn’t deserve the stigma it currently carries throughout society.
According to the DSM-5, Personality Disorders are characterized by “impairments in personality functioning and the presence of pathological personality traits”. Borderline Personality Disorder is one of ten personality disorders listed in the DSM-5. The DSM-5 lists several criteria that must be met in order for someone to be diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. They are quoted as follows:
Some of the most common actions or responses for individuals with borderline personality disorder are suicidal. Incorporating the teaching of problem-solving skills will hopefully, again, reduce the number of suicidal thoughts or behaviors an individual has that could result in serious self-injury (Van Goethem, A., et al.). Lastly, arguably the most important component of the dialectical behavior therapy is allowing those who have undergone the treatment to test what they have learned. The final stage of this therapy involves having the patients visualize themselves in certain scenarios and creating a response to what they are envisioning. The most important part of this process is having patients trust their responses without utilizing the help and opinions of other individuals (Van Goethem, A., et al.). Though there are several different components that make up the dialectical behavioral therapy, they are each crucial to the treatment for individuals with, not only borderline personality disorder, but many other psychological disorders as well. Some of the effects of how this treatment has worked can be observed in a couple of different
Linehan addressed the need for effective and empirically supported psychotherapeutic treatment for borderline personality disorder. She discovered important shortcomings in standard cognitive and behavioral (CBT) treatments (Chapman & Robins, 2004). DBT was developed to address difficulties faced when implementing standard CBT to ...
The history of BPD can be traced back to 1938 when Adolph Stern first described the symptoms of the disorder as neither being psychotic nor psychoneurotic; hence, the term ‘borderline’ was introduced (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15). Then in 1960, Otto Kernberg coined the term ‘borderline personality organization’ to describe persistent patterns of behavior and functioning consisting of instability, and distressed psychological self-organization (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15).
Joan Crawford, was one of the most popular and well known actresses in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. Although her life was more extraordinary than mundane, she suffered from multiple personality disorders, as do many Americans. Personality disorders are patterns of inflexible traits that disrupt social life or work and may distress the affected individual (Rathus, 2016). The movie Mommie Dearest, captures moments in Crawford’s life that show her struggles with her personality disorders. Throughout the movie, you watch her personalities become more prominent and abusive. Her main disorders include borderline and paranoid personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as histrionic and narcissistic personality disorder.
.... After meeting with Robert Downey Jr. over the past few years he has shown and expressed his psychological disorders with me. It seems that every time Downey tried to get his life together, he overloads himself, which stresses him out. Being stressed is one symptom of Bipolar, so when he is going through one of his episodes, that is when he breaks his sober streak and goes down hill all over again. Making it extremely difficult to get back to where he should be. In situations like Downey, it takes as much as hitting rock bottom before he realizes how much he has corrupted and affected not only his own life, but also his friends and family that are trying to help him get better. This document is entirely fictional, that the person named in the evaluation was never actually evaluated, and that the report author is not qualified to conduct psychological evaluations.