11/21/24
August 02, 2011
Brandon Marshall: I Have Borderline Personality Disorder: Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall has revealed that he's been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a mental illness characterized by anger, impulsve behavior and volatile personal relationships. "My purpose moving forward is to raise awareness of this disorder -- how it not only affects the patient but the families and the people in the community," he said. Marshall has had some off-field incidents since turning pro, including several domestic disputes.
Sure it is. People do it all the time on the internet.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:13 PM on August 02, 2011
Marshall is by no means the only pro athlete with BPD. Good news is that it can be successfully treated in many cases. Possible for some subjects to self-reflect and self-illuminate without need for initial intervention.
Every time an individual comes forward like this, it increases the chances that others will have a self-awareness moment of their own or not resist the prospect of treatment if suggested. If Marshall is getting on track right now, I hope he can stay there. Sounds encouraging thus far.
posted by beaverboard at 11:17 PM on August 02, 2011
It takes guts for Marshall to admit he's suffering from mental illness. I hope he takes the treatment seriously and really is a role model for how to deal with it.
posted by rcade at 10:04 AM on August 03, 2011
Sure it is. People do it all the time on the internet.
Point taken.
However, I also reject the seeming necessity of psychiatry to deem every character flaw a syndrome or disorder. If sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, then sometimes a dick is just a dick. It may be the reason in Marshall's case, but BPD won't be the reason for a lot of other people who I now suspect will claim they have it without a real diagnosis -- it seems like a nice catch-all for guys who beat or threaten their significant others.
As rcade said, I hope Marshall is truly going to be the face of BPD, but that also means talking publicly about what the underlying factors might have been (child abuse, abandonment, etc.).
posted by wfrazerjr at 11:07 AM on August 03, 2011
Geez, fraze, that's harsh. I don't think he has to talk about childhood abuse to be a role model for BPD. If he just talks publicly about his illness and how he is fighting and struggling with it, well, that's more than what most people do.
posted by bperk at 12:34 PM on August 03, 2011
I don't think it's harsh at all. According to what I've read about BPD, many (but not all) of those with the disorder suffered some sort of childhood trauma, whether it be abuse, neglect or separation issues. The numbers cited there say 40-71% of BPD cases have a history of sexual abuse.
If those issues are part of Marshall's history, not talking about it would be not giving empowerment to those who may have suffered the same fate and don't know the links to BPD.
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:05 PM on August 03, 2011
Yeah, but it is up to him whether he wants to talk about that stuff publicly. He needs to decide with the help of his doctors/therapists whether that is the best way for him to achieve his own coping goals. It isn't really a requirements to becoming the face of the disorder, which up to now has been faceless or unknown.
posted by bperk at 03:22 PM on August 03, 2011
However, I also reject the seeming necessity of psychiatry to deem every character flaw a syndrome or disorder.
If that's what they're doing, sure. But is it? It seems to me that by your approach, you can label anything at all that has a psychological component as a "character flaw". Is that accurate?
posted by lil_brown_bat at 03:39 PM on August 03, 2011
I agree, lbb, and no, I think there are plenty of disorders and psychoses that are legitimate. I also think what I've read as what are the root causes in many cases of BPD are definitely situations where treatment is warranted, and perhaps absolutely necessary.
However, when you get down the level of "unstable relationships, low self-esteem, and problems with impulsive behavior," I'm not sure you can chalk all that stuff up to a disorder or a psychosis -- nor am I sure you should. Isn't it possible some people are just immature? Or jerks?
I mean, looking at the linked Health.com article, one of the symptoms is listed as "Act(ing) impulsively in ways that are self-damaging, such as extravagant spending, frequent and unprotected sex with many partners, substance abuse, binge eating, or reckless driving." That's pretty much the do-not-do list the NFL preaches at the Rookie Symposiums.
I'm not a doctor, and I agree with bperk to some extent -- I know it sounds harsh. I just don't know where the line is between "I'm sick" and "I'm a tool."
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:53 PM on August 03, 2011
I don't know the line either, and I am also skittish about the overdiagnosis of so much negative behavior as either a disorder or a syndrome. Some of them sound legitimate, but others like Parental Alienation Syndrome are clearly junk science.
posted by rcade at 04:00 PM on August 03, 2011
However, when you get down the level of "unstable relationships, low self-esteem, and problems with impulsive behavior," I'm not sure you can chalk all that stuff up to a disorder or a psychosis -- nor am I sure you should. Isn't it possible some people are just immature? Or jerks?
Oh, absolutely. Just because someone shows those traits doesn't mean that they've got some kind of psychological disorder that makes it more than a matter of simple choice. I don't think anyone really knows where the line between "I'm sick" and "I'm a tool" is. Personally, I don't think there is a line, which is not to say that the reasons for your behavior don't matter -- just that they're hard to nail down as all one thing or all the other. Consider a physical scar, for example. Even if the original injury was something you didn't cause and couldn't prevent, does that mean that you have no control over your current state of disability? Probably not -- but it's impossible to draw the line and say exactly what you could have prevented, how much of the damage you could have ameliorated.
I'm also of the belief that you don't get better until you drop the whole story line about whose fault it is. Until you do that, it's too easy to get stuck on how this whole awful situation is really someone else's responsibility. That could be perfectly true, but in life's little traffic accidents, it's pretty easy to get away with a hit-and-run. You're likely to wait forever for the responsible party to own up to what they did, and even if they do, they can't fix what they broke. Best to get on with your own fixing/healing/whatever and not wait for someone to do it for you (but in the process, I believe that psychology -- and other things too -- can provide some helpful insights).
posted by lil_brown_bat at 04:14 PM on August 03, 2011
I just don't know where the line is between "I'm sick" and "I'm a tool."
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:53 PM on August 03
Maybe they are a dick because they are sick? Over simplification I know.
Best to get on with your own fixing/healing/whatever and not wait for someone to do it for you (but in the process, I believe that psychology -- and other things too -- can provide some helpful insights).
posted by lil_brown_bat at 04:14 PM on August 03
Well said.
posted by steelergirl at 05:23 PM on August 03, 2011
Isn't it possible anymore for someone just to be a dick?