Reddit reviews Lost in the Mirror: An Inside Look at Borderline Personality Disorder

Hi Rob, nice to 'meet' you.


I'm 27, female, and also live in the UK. Can advise on my experiences with the NHS if that's something you're interested in at some point. My diagnoses are BPD, MDD and paranoid anxiety. I'm on 90mg duloxetine and 100mg lamotrigine at the moment.


Regarding pinned advice, you can read about the DBT self help stuff here - it used to be a sticky.

If you're looking for info on BPD, I always recommend the Mind pages and this book. Steer well clear of Stop Walking on Eggshells.

Personally I've used this sub for about four years now under different usernames. I've used it for ranting, seeking advice, reading posts to feel less alone, help navigating MH systems, and when I've needed comfort/talking down from a bad situation. When I'm in a good headspace I also like to help other people out here too if I can.

If you have any questions or there's anything I can help you with, give me a shout. And welcome! :)

Borderline Personality Disorder: The Facts is my favourite one. One of the writers is a recovered BPD sufferer. Lost in the Mirror is really good too. Many therapists recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Mirror-Borderline-Personality-Disorder/dp/0878332669, really the only one I have connected with and I think I've read all the standards.

Stop Walking on Eggshells is horrible, I read about thirty pages and it's more like an abuse survival guide. It paints us all as evil manipulators who are just out to hurt people. I've never heard a good thing about it from people with BPD, just from people who call themselves 'BPD survivors' but don't have it.

Edit: if I'm going to discredit I may as well recommend. I LOVED Lost in the Mirror: An Inside Look at Borderline Personality Disorder.

I'd highly recommend Lost in the Mirror - An Inside Look at Borderline Personality Disorder by Richard Moscovitz. My ex therapist lent me a copy and it really resonated with me.

I'm sorry you're being downvoted. I think this sub has unfortunately been taken over quite a lot by Tumblr kids who self-diagnose and see that as valid.


Firstly, congratulations on your diagnosis. It might feel like a death sentence, but it gives you a valid reason for why you act, behave and feel the way you do. My diagnosis was a godsend for me because it meant I wasn't actually going mad all those years, I was ill and other people get it.


The best thing I've done has got to be DBT (and my therapies have included basic counselling, CBT and psychodynamic psychotherapy). DBT let me meet other people with the same disorder who totally understand when you say you feel like offing yourself for something that, to a non-BPD person, totally does not warrant that level of despair. It makes a huge difference to be able to relate to people.


I'm really sorry you can't afford psychotherapy. Therapy is important and really can help and I hope one day you're able to get it.


Until then, I really recommend this book to help you get to grips with the disorder and feel less alone. A psychiatrist lent it to me once and it was amazing to read about how I wasn't the only one, and to see BPD laid out so eloquently. It made things make sense.

Keep posting here, even if it's just a 'Does anyone else feel/do X?'. It can help to get reminders that yes, they do, because it's a BPD thing, and we get it.


Take care, and shoot me a message if you ever want someone to vent to or chat to privately :)