Wow. Just wow. I have just gone through 3 pages of comments, and I have a dilemma. (After the first page, admittedly I only skimmed through the rest of the comments) I have commented in the coffee room off an on over many years. I have much to say about this topic, and I want to. However, I have found that when people try to explain “mental Illness” or “emotional illness” or whatever the current description is, many people use the information to further hurt people. I have seen articles written in the popular Jewish/heimishe magazines, with the obvious intent to dispel the stigma. I have concluded that it doesn’t work. When people have already reached a conclusion, whatever it may be, more information becomes more fodder for making the stigma BIGGER. This thread is a perfect example of this. There is ignorance mixed up with linear information, individual unfortunate experiences mixed up with generalizations, opinions mixed up with facts, fear mixed up with self-righteousnous… I could go on. And so, as frustrating as it may be, I will remain silent. Here. In real life, I share what I know with people who already are open to listening. To those who do want to know, I want to address the diagnosis that seems to have been labeled “untreatable”, and more. There are resources far more authoritive than a thread on YWN. Try reading a book, if I recall it may be titled “Walking on eggshells [when someone you care about has borderline personality disorder]” The author(s) include a clinician named Paul Mason. There is a “method to the madness”, and there are ways of working with someone who is working on themself.
And here’s an interesting thought: Occasionally, a person with a diagnosed emotional disorder unfortunately marries a nasty or abusive person with no diagnosis!!! They just have really bad midos, and no real “need” to work on themself when they can blame everything on their ‘damaged’ spouse.