You’re Not “Too Much”: What No One Tells You About the Stigma of BPD
Some diagnoses carry support. Others carry shame. Borderline Personality Disorder is often misunderstood - both publicly and even in therapy rooms. If you’ve ever been labeled “too intense,” therapy can help you be seen rather than dismissed.
Being labeled unstable isn’t the same as being seen.
Some diagnoses come with support. Others come with a warning label.
Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the most misunderstood, misrepresented, and misused diagnoses in the DSM. Not just in public discourse, but often inside the therapy room itself.
If you’ve ever been told:
- “You’re too intense.”
- “You’re just looking for attention.”
- “You manipulate people.”
…you might already know what we’re talking about.
What they call instability might actually be survival. What they call drama might actually be protest. What they call manipulation might just be fear... dressed up in desperation.
You Weren’t Born Chaotic You Were Left Alone in the Chaos
Most clients who carry this label didn’t choose to feel everything so sharply. They learned early on that love disappears. That needs are dangerous. That closeness always comes at a cost.
So they adapted.
Some get clingy. Some go cold. Some test boundaries; not to hurt, but to see if someone will finally stay.
And when people don’t? It just confirms the thing they feared most: You’re unlovable unless you disappear or perform.
That’s not pathology. That’s a wound.
Learn more about how our trauma‐informed therapy helps foster genuine safety and connection.
You weren’t born chaotic, you were left alone in the chaos
The Diagnosis Isn’t the Problem The Punishment Is
BPD has become a shorthand insult - even among clinicians. “High maintenance.” “Untreatable.” “Toxic.”
This stigma isn’t just cruel. It’s lazy.
It assumes that emotional pain is dangerous. That intensity disqualifies you from empathy. That if you can’t regulate like everyone else, you don’t deserve the same care.
- People with BPD often have the most capacity for connection.
- Their nervous systems are overwhelmed, not broken.
- Their pain is relational, and so is the healing.
You Don’t Have to Be Quiet to Be Loved
Therapy isn’t about “fixing” you so you don’t scare people.
It’s about building a relationship where:
- Your pain isn’t weaponized.
- Your needs aren’t punished.
- Your story isn’t reduced to a label.
And yes - where emotional regulation gets practiced. Not as obedience, but as a way to help you feel more whole, more stable, and less at the mercy of every goodbye.
If You’ve Been Burned by the System That Was Supposed to Help
I offer trauma-informed online therapy, in English, based in Prague, available worldwide. I work with clients who’ve been pathologized instead of heard. Clients who’ve learned to mask, collapse, or rage just to get someone to stay.
You’re not manipulative. You’re trying to survive a nervous system that was never given safe ground.
You Don’t Need to Become Less Emotional to Be Loved
You just need to be in a space where your emotions don’t get used against you.
Curious about our approach? Learn about Raffaele & Leilani and find the right fit for your healing journey.