"7 Famous People Who Suffer From PTSD or Borderline Personality Disorder"
Are you ashamed of talking about your mental illness and struggles? First of all, let us stick to the fact that it is NOT your fault. You are just having normal reactions to abnormal circumstances! People who have been physically, verbally, and emotionally abused over the years have acquired ways of survival and coping that are relevent to their experiences--and in medical terms these are classified as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder (It can also come with Chronic Anxiety and Depression). Today I'd like to share with you some famous people who share the same struggles as you and me.
Borderline Personality Disorder
1. Doug Ferrari "Dougzilla"
Famous Comedian. He suffered from angry outbursts that led to family violence and imprisonment. However he now is focusing on therapy, counselling, and taking medications for healing. He performs for charity and is working hard to spread awareness for BPD.
2. Britney Jean Spears
The princess of pop with gifts of singing, dancing, and acting. She has led a world wide successful career since her debut in 1999 with her album, "Baby One More Time". She has sold over 90 million records and is the only woman whose first five studio albums have debuted in the top two slots on Billboard Top 200 Albums.
Through her struggle with BPD, her first marriage in 2004 was annulled just after 55 hours. Her second marriage also ended quickly. She stayed in a drug rehabilitation facility in 2007 for a day, the same day she shaved her head impulsively.
She is a philanthropist, who founded The Britney Spears Foundation, a charity to help children in need. Throughout her career she has helped numerous other charities.
3. Angelina Jolie-Pitt
Famous American actress, screenwriter, film director and author. She was named Hollywood’s highest-paid actress by the Forbes magazine.
In a recent interview, she has claimed that she lived a very dangerous life and has done extremely dangerous things and for many reasons she should not be here. She has self harmed cutting her arms and legs when she felt like she couldn't belong with somebody. She married twice. At Angelina's first marriage in 1995, she attended the ceremony wearing black leather pants and a white top with her husband's name scribbled in her own blood.
Despite her struggles, Jolie's BPD seems to make her the compassionate and kind being that she is. Her humanitarian work around the world has been superb. She received the first Citizen of the World award in 2003 from the United Nations Correspondents Association. (The award is given to those who make a “significant contribution” to humanitarian causes).
4. Princess Diana
The Princess of Wales, first wife of Prince Charles of Wales (eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II). The divorce of her parents and neglect during her childhood years had led to her BPD symptoms such as difficulty in maintaining relationships, self-mutilation, promiscuity, binge eating, and cutting.
She supported over 100 charities, including the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the Nobel Peace Prize a few months after her death.
5. Marilyn Monroe
Model, actress, and singer Marilyn Monroe became the major sex symbol during the 1950s and 60s. Even after her death, today she is loved by people all around the world as a Hollywood icon.
When she was a little girl she was separated from her mother, and grew up in a strong Catholic home. She had some traumatic experiences growing up, and these experiences seem to have led to her BPD symptoms including intense fear of abandonment, drug abuse, and suicidal ideation. She also had a very low self-esteem despite her enormous success.
Others
Other famous people with BPD include Linsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, Courtney Love, and Pete Doherty. These are people that are KNOWN to have BPD--keep in mind that there are LOTS of others who have BPD but are not publicly known.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
6. Barbra Streisand
American singer-songwriter, actress, author, film producer, and director with a career spanning over 60 years. She is one of the most successful personalities in show business. She is the only person ever to receive all of the following: Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cable Ace, National Endowment for the Arts, and Peabody awards, as well as the American Film Institutes Lifetime Achievement honor and the Film Society of Lincoln Center Chaplin Award.
She developed PTSD after a concert where she forgot her lyrics. And she is undergoing medication for her struggle.
7. Abraham Lincoln
The 16th president of the United States. He lost his mother at a young age, and soon after he lost his older sister when he was just 18 years old. He would also lose ten of his twelve children to death. Historians and psychiatric researchers agree that Abraham Lincoln may have suffered from severe generalized anxiety disorders, based on his letters and journals.
Who says You CAN'T?
Do you think that these people should be ashamed of themselves because of their struggles? NO! Because their struggles do not define who they are. What defines them is their willingness to get up and shine in spite of their struggles. Are you embarrassed that your friends and acquaintances may see you walking into the mental health building? You don't have to be! Stand up tall, keep your chin up. It only means that you take care of your mental health! Just as others go to the gym to take care of their physical health!
Who says you can't because of your struggles whether they may be BPD, PTSD, Depression, or Anxiety? If these great people above on the list can do great things, SO CAN YOU. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." Do not give up on your dreams, especially if they seem BIG.
Be encouraged, be brave! Now is the time for you to start making your dreams come true. You have the present, the now.
