Our stories
"This" can most definitely be all over one day Rose. A dialectic behaviour therapy (DBT) course is just the ticket for ridding yourself of BPD. Failing that, ACT or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a close second. That's the easy part. Finding someone to do those programs with you is a different kettle of fish.
Public funded DBT programs are rare. Spectrum (Victoria) does them, but they only take the "worst of the worst." They also tend to only take younger people in their 20's and 30's, maybe 40's too, but I'm well outside that age group and would never get a foot in the door. In short, the entire system is underfunded.
Another alternative is to get your GP to write out a MHP or Mental Health-care Plan. You can then get 10 subsidised sessions per calender year with a psychologist who will teach you the fundamentals of either DBT or ACT, however to be quite frank, 10 sessions per year just isn't enough. You can request more sessions, but you then have to pay the going rate. The best thing is if you have private cover. You can then continue DBT in a private setting with little cost involved.
Now, all of the above isn't as easy as it looks in writing. This is a self defeating disorder. You can go to a psychologist or DBT group and know it inside out and back to front.......... and still never do anything about it. This is because of old learned behaviours. Firstly, you probably won't trust the instructor or psychologist, after all you've never been able to trust anyone your entire life! And of course even if you do take some of it onboard, "nothing ever works" or at least that's what your mind will try and tell you. A large percentage of those starting a DBT program or ACT with a therapist drop out within the first few weeks. They disengage and go right back to where they were. Perhaps after many more years lost in the wilderness will they'll finally decide to take it seriously.
Age plays a part too. By the time mot sufferers reach middle age, if indeed they do, then they're actually beginning to understand the cause and effect of their actions. I began in a limited way back in my late 40's and although I kept working, I built a home in a secluded area and remain there today. No people to bounce off you see, but it's a terribly lonely life and that becomes a danger in itself. Back then I worked in a factory environment where the other workers ignored my outbursts and my boss was a drunk who might go crook at me for throwing a hammer, but after work would invite me over to the office to discuss the incident. He'd hand me a beer, tell me how I might cause serious injury if I hit somebody with a hammer and that would be the end of it. Prior to that job, I was averaging one job every six months.
Today I work as a MH nurse, but only a few days a month. I did too much work pre-Christmas and had a melt-down which got me into trouble. They don't just hand you a beer and tell you not to do it again in a professional industry, so I backed right off the amount of shifts I did and although feeling the pain of isolation, my mental state has improved. Anyway, I'm no longer feeling so alone since I've discovered this message board.
Hmmm. This is a rather lengthy post, but hopefully you can get something out of it. Just remember, if you can get into a DBT program, STICK WITH IT! You can turn your life around. All the best with it 
