Introduction to Kate Beveridge, Author of ‘More than Borderline’
My name is Kate Beveridge, and I am a new blogger for the More than Borderline blog. I’m excited to share my personal story of living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and tips for how to cope with the illness.
Kate Beveridge’s Struggles with Borderline Personality Disorder
I first started struggling with my mental health at age 14. It was like a switch turned on in my brain overnight, and I started living daily with depressive feelings, desperately low self-esteem, anxiety about the future, and the belief that I wasn’t good enough.
Things got a lot worse after I was raped at age 19. I held onto deeply-ingrained beliefs that I was a terrible person and a burden. I felt like my very essence was a swirling vortex of badness that would infect others, so I turned to alcohol and drugs to escape from these feelings. I sought constant approval from men and had explosive relationships that ended in fights.
At age 22, I was hospitalized on suicide watch and diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This is when things finally started to take a turn for the positive because I had a name to put to my feelings. I realized I wasn’t the only one that felt this way, and I could start to move forward.
Kate Beveridge Is Recovering from BPD
Since my diagnosis, I’ve undertaken a six-month course of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). I’ve also done a lot of inner child and spiritual work both in Australia and Peru, where I now live with my husband.
My biggest focus is on surrendering to circumstances, taking responsibility for actions, and caring for my inner child. I’m excited to share these lessons so that other people with BPD can look past their symptoms and build a life worth living.
For more about me, Kate Beveridge, watch this:
APA Reference
Beveridge, K.
(2020, October 20). Introduction to Kate Beveridge, Author of ‘More than Borderline’, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, December 23 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/borderline/2020/10/introduction-to-kate-beveridge-author-of-more-than-borderline
Author: Kate Beveridge
Hello, Kate! So glad to have you here. Thank you for sharing your story and wisdom with us here. I look forward to reading future posts.
Hi Lizanne,
Thanks for reading the post and taking the time to leave a comment. Thank you for your supportive words as well and hope to see your engagement with future posts!
Thanks,
Kate
Thank you for this Kate. I am newly diagnosed. I self committed myself into the hospital because I was fearing killing my self. I am wondering if I man the beginning of your recovery did you take medication or do you still?!? I have a major issue with splitting & extreme black & white thinking... of course depression & anxiety. Thanks Kate
Hi Tiffany,
Thanks for reaching out. I'm glad to hear that you took steps when you were feeling suicidal and I will post below some further resources that you can use if you're feeling this way.
If you feel suicidal or you're in a crisis situation and need immediate assistance, people at these suicide hotlines in the U.S. are there to help.
1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK) - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-784-2433 (1-800-SUICIDE) - National Hopeline Network
1-866-488-7386 (1-866-4.U.TREVOR aimed at gay and questioning youth)
I took medications for depression prior to and after my BPD diagnosis but I haven't taken them for several years now. I found therapy (especially dialectical behavior therapy) to be more beneficial for my personal recovery than medications, but I know that medications can help many people. I would recommend seeing a licensed psychologist and/or psychiatrist if you can, to discuss an ongoing treatment plan as everyone is different.