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Borderline Personality Disorder and Religion

For people who have Borderline Personality Disorder, religion often plays a distinct and important role in their lives. Many people with the disorder find the comfort and support of their church families to be invaluable. However, some people with Borderline Personality Disorder have also faced stigma, misunderstanding, judgment, and have even been accused of demon possession (when they go into rages).

Religion and spirituality, for many people with Borderline Personality Disorder, are two totally different things. Some people with the disorder consider themselves as “spiritual,” yet they do not necessarily go to church. They still find personal comfort through prayer and a personal relationship with God, however, and they find that this helps them to cope with the sometimes very distressing symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder.

Although Borderline Personality Disorder is a real, diagnosable psychiatric disorder, and its criteria are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) published by the American Psychiatric Association, “religious” people (as well as society at large) misjudge people who have Borderline Personality Disorder because of a general lack of knowledge of the disorder. This lack of knowledge leads to fear – a fear of the disorder and of people who have it.

These “religious” people observe the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder, such as anxiety and depression, and misunderstand (therefore fear and judge) the person who has the disorder. For instance, they believe the person has a lack of faith because they take medication for their disorder. Yet these same “religious” people do not criticize or judge other Christians who suffer from physical conditions, such as Diabetes, for taking insulin for their conditions, as having a lack of faith. The problem lies in the fact that Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental condition – a “hidden” disability.

Unfortunately, whether it is in religious circles or in our society at large, there is a huge stigma attached to mental illness in general. It is seen as a character flaw, or as something you should be able to control by yourself and, if you can’t, there is something wrong with your “spiritual walk,” or you are not a “good Christian.” But this isn’t true.

We may not know the exact cause of Borderline Personality Disorder, but we do know it has a genetic, biological, and/or environmental cause. Either way, it is not your fault. It is not something that you caused by being a “bad Christian.” People aren’t perfect, and “Christian people” are no different from other people. Borderline Personality Disorder is not caused by a weak spiritual walk, a lack of faith, sin in your life, or demon possession. Borderline Personality Disorder is also not a punishment from God.

Although Borderline Personality Disorder is still not a curable disorder, it is treatable, and recovery is possible. Part of treatment for many people with the disorder includes prayer. These people have found comfort in the Bible, especially in Scriptures that have helped their anxiety and depression. One of these Scriptures is the following:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

Notice that it says that God will guard your hearts and MINDS. He may not take away your anxiety and/depression, but He will give you peace in spite of your anxiety/depression.

About the Author

David Oliver is the founder of BorderlineCentral.com a one stop source of information on how to cope and deal with borderline personality disorder.

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