When I meet with a new client and give the feedback that they meet the criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD), I always caution them to take what they see on the internet with a grain of salt. Myths about BPD abound—from articles indicating that this condition is "untreatable" to someone in the comments suggesting that their ex "definitely has BPD."

People with BPD may also experience substantial stigma from treatment providers (Rogers & Acton, 2012), many of whom refuse to treat patients with this condition (Sulzer, 2015). Unfortunately, access to specialist providers with the expertise and inclination to treat BPD is limited (Iliakis et al., 2019), and many patients lack the financial resources to afford gold-standard, intensive care (Tomko et al., 2014).

It is possible that myths about BPD and its treatment have perpetuated stigmatizing beliefs that ultimately limit the number of providers willing to take on BPD clients. One common myth about BPD is that this condition is lifelong and untreatable. Until recently, the field lacked long-term data on recovery rates for individuals with BPD. However, we now know that people with BPD experience reductions in symptoms over time, and that these improvements can be hastened with treatment. Longitudinal studies suggest that over 90 percent of patients no longer meet the criteria for this condition within 10 years of initial diagnosis, and once a patient’s symptoms remit, recurrence is unlikely (Zanarini et al., 2010).

Beyond symptom remission, these longitudinal........

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