Talking About BPD

Hi! My name's Rosie.

I write and talk about my life with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), one the most heavily-stigmatised and controversial mental health diagnoses.

Many moons ago, my blog won a Mind Media Award. Since then, I've published two books and written extensively on the social and relational aspects of less-talked-about mental health difficulties.

Feeling emotions intensely and caring deeply about relationships is a valid and meaningful way of existing and being. I hope you find comfort and hope in my work.

Talking About BPD is a positive, validating book about living a fulfilling life with this highly-stigmatised, and often misunderstood, diagnosis.

Throughout, I share my experiences of painful emotions and how I use Dialectical Behaviour Therapy to create a calmer and happier life.

The Talking About BPD Workbook is a reflective, exploratory and comforting workbook full of creative prompts and reflective questions.

This book supports you in exploring who you are as a person who feels intense emotions, your feelings about the diagnosis, your relationships, stigma and more.

2025: Difficult, thought-provoking & Spilling Over With Love

It's going to be impossible to write a reflection on 2025, but I'm going to try. It will be scattered and incomplete, especially given how tired I am right now. Regardless of what emerges in this post, this blog offers —imperfectly and messily— a record of some of my thinking from the course of the year. Posts like 'Nearly a third of Adults not comfortable sharing a diagnosis with a friend. Here's Why I Share' , ' What If This Diagnosis Were To Be Creatively (Generously, even

2 days ago

I'm Struggling and I Need Somewhere to express It, so I'm Doing That It Here

Update 27.12.25 I'm doing better and have had some easier days since I wrote the below posts. I'm not going to delete theme as they document how I was feeling and I want others to know, if they feel the same, that they not not alone. you are not alone. Dec 20th 2025 I am struggling and I can't have the things that would make me feel okay again. I can't have them. I have to find different ways to feel okay again. Things that come from inside myself, that I do myself for myself

Dec 21

Exploring BPD Through a Neurodivergent Lens...The Start of a Conversation

Over the next few weeks and months, you can expect to see some thinking and writing from me on the theme of neurodivergence and BPD. It's something that's been bubbling away in my mind for some time, particularly whilst writing my new book . I'm not necessarily going to be writing about autism and ADHD in relation to the BPD diagnosis. I'm aware of the alarming rates at which autistic people and/or individuals with ADHD are being incorrectly diagnosed with BPD. It's more tha

Nov 24

Why I Prefer to Manage my Mental Health without Medical Professionals

Recently, I had a big, unruly struggle with my mental health problems. The struggle was immense and acutely visible to people close to me. It was suggested, albeit very gently, whether I might benefit from re-entering the world of doctors: GP appointments, 'monitoring', medication, possibly contact with community mental teams or referrals to psychiatry...that sort of thing. You'll know it all too well if you've been through stuff similar to me. My response was clear. I didn'

Nov 15

Doing Therapy with a Therapist who works Creatively

Last spring, I started therapy again with a new therapist. It feels strange to finally write this because I've been silent about it on my blog until now. I've kept it to myself and just a few people I'm comfortable speaking with about it because, understandably, it all feels very personal. In fact, this post itself feels on the more personal side for me (eek), but I've decided I'm going to post it anyway. For most of my early and mid twenties, I was engaged in some sort of lo

Nov 8

Talking About Talking: How Metacommunication Can Create Safety When Talking About Mental Health

Metacommunication can be described as communicating about how you’re communicating— and you probably do it without even realising you’re doing it. I didn’t realise I was using metacommunication until I started using it more and more frequently with my husband and in some of my friendships. Once I became aware of the presence of metacommunication in my conversations, I noticed that I was using it to promote a sense of emotional safety when talking about mental health. Since be

Nov 6

Exciting News! Pre-Orders Now Open for My New Book!

I'm very excited to announce that The Talking About BPD Workbook: Reflections and Creative Prompts for Exploring Your Life with a Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder by me is now open for pre-orders. You can find in all of the usual places where you buy your books! I'm really excited to bring this book to readers. It's a book about identity, relationships, how you feel about yourself. Inside, you’ll find reflections and creative prompts to explore the kinds of quest

Oct 21

A New Play About BPD! 'The Love We Think We Deserve' by Anna Bontovics

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of chatting with Anna Bontovics (they/them), also known as Nush, about their new play about BPD entitled The Love We Think We Deserve . I was so excited when Anna got in touch with me at the end of summer to tell me about their important show. The Love We Think We Deserve has my huge respect for several reasons, but first and foremost it's the first piece of theatre I’ve ever come across to shine a spotlight on the BPD diagnosis. I was cur

Oct 20

Book Review: Sorry my Mental Illness Isn't Sexy Enough for You by Kay Garbett and Katja Pavlovna

You know how tricky it is to find compassionate and empathetic books about the more stigmatised kinds of mental health problems? Well, I've got some good news to share with you! Kay Garbett and Katja Pavlovna have written an important and illuminating book about their experiences of mental health difficulties, specifically borderline personality disorder (BPD) and schizotypal personality disorder (STPD). Sorry My Mental Illness Is Not Sexy Enough for You : Lessons on Living w

Oct 16

What I Wish I'd Known as a Student with Mental Health Difficulties

It's that time of year again. The leaves are glowing orange and maroon, and new students have arrived in town. I see them strolling to their lectures, chatting with freshly-made friends, no doubt trying to find their way through their newfound student life. That was me many Octobers ago, as I stepped into the whole new world of an unnervingly prestigious university to study some very old books. I loved my studying, and I loved the people I met. One teensy little problem thoug

Oct 15

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