• The General Mental Health Forum is now a Read Only Forum. As we had two large areas making it difficult for many to find, we decided to combine the Mental Health & the Recovery sections of the forum into Mental Health & Recovery as a whole. Physical Health still remains as it's own area within the entire Recovery area.

    If you are having struggles, need support in a particular area that you aren't finding a specific recovery area forum, you may find the General Struggles forum a great place to post. Any any that is related to emotions, self-esteem, insomnia, anger, relationship dynamics due to mental health and recovery and other issues that don't fit better in another forum would be examples of topics that might go there.

    If you have spiritual issues related to a mental health and recovery issue, please use the Recovery Related Spiritual Advice forum. This forum is designed to be like Christian Advice, only for recovery type of issues. Recovery being like a family in many ways, allows us to support one another together. May you be blessed today and each day.

    Kristen.NewCreation and FreeinChrist

  • Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
  • We hope the site problems here are now solved, however, if you still have any issues, please start a ticket in Contact Us

Introduction

xy2xx

New Member
Mar 22, 2010
2
0
✟22,612.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
I am a 45 year old male, married, three children. I have recently been diagnosed with BPD.

My mother and father divorced when I was 8 months old.

My mother met another man soon after. With him, she had a daughter (L). She never married the man and their relationship ended.

Later, she married another man. She had a son and daughter (C) and (W).
With this man, there were lots of fights. I recall the use of knives and guns, and the sound of beatings while I tried to sleep. She left him.

It wasn't long before she found another man. She moved to the Pacific coast with him. I went to live with my grandmother. (L) with her father. (C) and (W) with their father.

Later, I went to live with my mother and the man she would marry later. While there, her husband cheated with a co-worker and my mother cheated with another guy.

(C) & (W)'s father beat (C) with a 2x4 for peeing his pants. Child protective services became involved. A custody battle ensued, but neither parent deemed acceptable. Custody was temporarily awarded to the state, then given back to their father.

My mother divorced latest husband, then moved back to original state and lived with another man. I went to live with grandmother again. (L) came to live with me and grandmother. I was 12, she was 10. (L) was sexually active. At age 11, (L) shot herself in the head.

(W) has told me that her father sexually abused her. Additionally, her brother (C) also abused her. (C) was arrested as an adult for sexually abusing his own daughters. This makes me believe that (L) was also sexually abused. My therapist believes the same man abused me. I have no memories. However, I have been crossdressing on and off since the age of 5,....when I lived with this man.

As a teenager, I was a very angry young man. I have since mellowed. Still, I find it difficult to function as a husband and father.

I became a Christian in 1984,....but have never been sure of myself, my beliefs,God's concern for me, how my transgender thoughts conflict with Christian belief.

It feels like I am too many people,...swimming in ambiguity,...always unsure of who I am.

I have never attempted suicide, though I have had thoughts. I have never been a cutter,....though I do injure myself. Usually, this injury takes the form of not caring for myself,..eating poorly, etc. However, I have physically injured my genitalia many times over the years.
 

madison1101

Senior Veteran
Sep 17, 2004
4,354
288
68
Pennsylvania
✟5,939.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Democrat
Hi and welcome,
You have had a very difficult and painful start in life. I hope you are in psychotherapy and getting help in sorting out the trauma of your younger days, and learning new coping strategies and behaviors.

As for gender, it is true that the majority of people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder are female. That does not mean that men can't be borderline. In a lot of cases, men are diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.

Rather than look for differences, might I suggest you look for what you have in common with people who have this diagnosis and seek help in changing the behaviors and learning coping skills for the painful, negative affect.

Sorry I cannot help more. I am grateful for a lot of support I have received from church and AA, as I am also alcoholic.

God bless.

Trish
 
Upvote 0

RuthD

blah blah blah
Site Supporter
Jul 2, 2006
90,798
20,531
Earth
✟236,532.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
Wow, you really have had a hard life. I'm sorry that your 11 y.o. sibling died. I am praying that you will become closer and closer to Jesus and he will guide you as you get to know him better and better. I also feel bad for all you have gone through. I don't really know if the cross-dressing has something to do with being abused. The best way to discover this is through finding a compatible counselor for yourself, one that you trust. I wish you all the best.
 
Upvote 0