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Question Aug 02, 2019 at 07:59 PM
  #1
So I been searching on the internet and there is psychologist that are saying people with BPD have low empathy. But then how come my therapist says I'm empathic then? But I have BPD? Doesnt make sense?
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Default Aug 03, 2019 at 03:09 PM
  #2
Low empathy might be true of the "typical" person with BPD but we're not all typical. I have high empathy and BPD, too. For me, I feel like I'm so empathetic that I get bombarded by other people's emotions so I wish I could turn it down a bit. It's gotten better since I started therapy with my current T. I can better separate my emotions from other people's emotions, but I'm still affected by them.

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Default Aug 03, 2019 at 04:47 PM
  #3
I feel for you. That's excatly how I experience it as well. It feels like you're been pulled into a storm eh?
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Default Aug 13, 2019 at 07:58 AM
  #4
I disagree. People with BPD don't have low empathy but for me personally, when I've felt attacked verbally then my empathy kind of shuts off for a minute and I lash out.
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Default Aug 22, 2019 at 06:11 PM
  #5
I have very high empathy and that's why I haven't been on in quite a while. After a while, this place, in listening to everyone's problems, became very hurtful and harmful to me. I'm back for at least a while. What other people said is right. Don't stereotype those with BPD. We are all different and you are you, no matter what the "books" say. Best of luck to you.

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Default Sep 09, 2019 at 10:47 PM
  #6
Hi all,

I agree - the no empathy with BPD theory is absolute hogwash.

I despise healthcare professionals who say this. The irony is, the healthcare profession usually projects a lack of empathy onto the BPD sufferer, which exacerbates feelings of abandonment, missunderstanding, loneliness and emptiness. Naturally, ineffective and abusive treatment could very well trigger a justified reaction, only, it is not seen as justified because the healthcare system does not see the initial abuse that sparked the reaction. Instead, the system sees such reactions as unjustified, placing blame on the client and thus, perpetuates abuse cycles... This amplifies the toxic shame that abusers have instilled in them, which increases the need to reach out to others for help. BPDers are hated by many because they take up a large chunk of hospital beds.

Here's a tip healthcare system: If you treat BPD effectively: as a trauma disorder, then the revolving door will decrease! But that requires taking accountability for ineffective treatment and learning from those mistakes. This is partly why nothing improves; they do not take accountability for their failures to effectively treat.

No one with BPD has the exact same symptomatology; it is unique to the individual. Add to this that usually BPD sufferers have comorbid diagnosis, so to say that BPD sufferers are unempathic is absolutely rediculous. Trying to fit everyone inside a neat little diagnostic box is testament to the inherent problems in psychiatry and the medical model.

Healthcare system, you are far from knowing how to treat BPD. Lol.

Healthcare treats BPD as a nuisance. Some professionals even admit to emotionally abusing BPD sufferers in hospital settings because they take up a lot of bed space. The logic goes: if they abuse BPD sufferers, there is less chance they will ever return... How sad! BPDers are often labelled, "attention seekers," or, "high system users," or, "treatment resistant."

Some "professionals" believe that forcing BPD sufferers to be alone and without support is the only effective treatment, because somehow subjecting them to their worst fears will force them to learn to cope by themselves. Hospitals must maintain a revolving door for patients and make room for more. This is why hospitals usually have short-term stay units designated for BPD. The idea being that crisis is usually short-lived when compared with other mental illnesses.

Some professionals have absolutely no idea what they are doing when treating BPD. In North America, they still have not recognized it as a trauma disorder, however, a resolution for the problem has been seen in Europe, where the ICD has adopted Complex PTSD in place of BPD.

If only the medical system would WAKE UP!

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Last edited by HD7970GHZ; Sep 09, 2019 at 11:12 PM..
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Default Sep 11, 2019 at 02:47 AM
  #7
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeaFruit View Post
So I been searching on the internet and there is psychologist that are saying people with BPD have low empathy. But then how come my therapist says I'm empathic then? But I have BPD? Doesnt make sense?
Sounds to me like your therapist is good, & that internet psychologist is...well....let's just say confused! I also have high empathy. And, as mentioned in another post, along with empathy comes the issue of being overwhelmed by other's emotions, and trying to figure out if what YOU are feeling is your feelings, or theirs. Do-able. Blocking out others emotions, also do-able. To a point.

So, yeah. Trust your therapist - ignore the...psychologist, who is .... confused. Spend some time researching empathic, empathy, how to shield yourself from being overwhelmed by others emotions. It can really help.

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