Liz Scheier’s Mom Had Borderline Personality Disorder and Some Heavy Secrets

Episode notes

First time author Liz Scheier’s book, Never Simple, is aptly named. Liz had always known that her mom suffered from depression and anxiety but she didn’t know until her early twenties that borderline personality disorder was also part of her mother’s mental framework. BPD, according to Mayo Clinic, “impacts the way you think and feel about yourself and others, causing problems functioning in everyday life. It includes self-image issues, difficulty managing emotions and behavior, and a pattern of unstable relationships.”

In practice, that meant threatening to have Liz followed around New York City, tracking down what hotels she stayed in and calling them to check in on her, and protecting Liz from basic truths like who her father was and the fact that Liz never had a birth certificate. Later in life, with Liz married and with a family of her own, her mother’s health deteriorates and her life unravels. And at that point, Liz, like many people dealing with a family member’s mental illness, tries to help as best she can while being unsure how much help is even possible.

Learn more about Borderline Personality Disorder here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/borderline-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20370237

Get your copy of Liz Scheier’s memoir Never Simple wherever books are sold. Visit Liz’s website at lizscheier.com. Follow Liz on Twitter @LizScheier.

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