HI CC43,

Thank you. I am trying really hard not to take it personally. There is a lot of recovery involved, and the therapist I am likely to start with soon is specialised in EMRD and trauma therapy. There has been a lot going on for a long time.

Although being familiar with the disorder, since we had the diagnosis in 2023, I was not completely aware of the mechanisms behind the discard. I remember having conversations about the idea of sorrow during his depressive phases. I remember trying to convince him that sitting with emotional pain can help a person grow and connect with others. He was always dismissive, refusing the very notion of accepting suffering. I guess I know why now. He is unable to, and started pushing me away the moment I too became a source of suffering.

Thank you both. In retrospect I had a bit of a collapse for a couple weeks, and it was a sad time but I also caught my breath a little. It’s still a lot but I relate a lot to your thoughts Hotchip.  Thank you!

Hello, I am super confused about how I've ended up in this situation. My husband who was the absolute most gem of a human went from almost idolizing me to abruptly filing for divorce. I do not have a formal diagnosis for borderline, but after reading a lot and putting pieces together it seems like that may be the case. My husband was the most wonderful caring person towards me. He would do anything for me, wanted to always spend time together, yet was encouraging of me having my own "me" time. Was great with my family and friends and everybody adored him. We had a healthy relationship and always able to work out if there was ever a disagreement. We never fought, never were verbally or physically abusive to one another. We genuinely enjoyed being with each other.

One day he suddenly acted super distant and the best I can describe it as if someone had turned off the light switch on his emotions towards me. He said there was no more spark between us. He didn't want to be at home saying I had created a "suffocating" environment (despite not a single thing changing in our lives or from my end). When I tried to offer to go out with him he would tell me that he didn't want me around, that he didn't want to have to "babysit" me (despite one of the things that attracted him to me is that I was always a very independent person, have never been codependent and had healthy relationships with both family and friends). He also thought I wasn't being supportive when he was making a decision on a grad school program when he asked my opinion on where to go. He didn't agree with my opinion and I said no problem he should go where he thought it would be the best fit. Suddenly he got into his head that I wasn't supportive of what he wanted and said that this girl that he was hanging out with a lot from his soccer team was the only one that was actually supportive. It was about 1 year of me not understanding what was happening and why my perfect husband all of a suddenly seemed to dislike me. It would get even more confusing though because when we would go out (I made it a point every week to have a date night) he would seemingly be having a good time with me and we would laugh and things would seem normal. When this was brought up he said that it was the activity that was fun, not me. I tried going to couples therapy and encouraged him to be in individual therapy and this seemed to make everything worse. He announced in therapy that the relationship was over and left the next day. His family and friends have no idea why this is happening and are very confused. Especially because they know how important our relationship and marriage was to him.

Since he left I have tried to talk to him but every interaction seems worse. He said that he was done "carrying the weight of me" which was confusing again because nothing had changed from my end. His interactions with others are apparently normal, but if anyone tries to talk to him about me he gets very mad and refuses to talk. When I tried to talk he said that I was a liar, a sneak, and I deceived. I tried to ask for an example of when I once did any of those things but he just says that he isn't going to go into it again that we have discussed it "hundreds" of times. He has erased every picture of us and our marriage/relationship. We used to write letters to each other every day during a time when we were long distance and he treasured those letters and had them put into an album. When he left I was seeing if he wanted the letters. Originally he said yes he wanted them. When I said ok I would give them to him the next day I was just going to make a copy of them, suddenly he didn't want them anymore. He has said he just wants to close this chapter of life and move on.

I am aware that you cannot force people to be together or to love someone. The confusing thing though is that this really did seem to come from one day to the next. I am self aware enough to know that I am obviously not perfect, but I truly cannot think of anything that I could have done to have caused this. Neither can anyone else and boy have I asked for any objective feedback of how what I could have done to cause all this. I tried to get a different couples therapist so we could discuss what was happening and see if I could put brakes on a divorce. During that time he was very adamant that this was over and he had zero interest in me and anything about me. He would only go to a session so that I "could get closure." There was one moment though when all of a sudden he teared up and told the therapist "you don't understand. She is just so full of joy and she is little and cute and I think back to *certain memory* and I can't even look at those videos anymore because there was so much joy." After that moment I thought "hey there is my husband!" and when I tried to go more into that topic he walled off and immediately changed back to this is dead and over.

Background: He is extroverted and easily the favorite in a group setting. He is charming and kind and makes everyone at ease. Yet, he only has 1 actual close friend. His mother is bipolar and recovering alcoholic. I have considered if he is bipolar but he doesn't quite fit. It seems more of a personality issues with emotions vs. mania or severe depression. I have known him since I was a kid and it seems like there was a lot of traumatic experiences going on at home that none of us ever knew as kids. He did a good job hiding it. But I do believe that led to inappropriately having to care for his mother as a kid that should have never happened. He has a distant relationship with his family and his family just labels him as a "screw up." He is high functioning, extremely smart. Yet he is now on his 3rd career change, crazy enough to be a clinical psychologist... He sometimes has these over confident moments like he is invincible yet his own self esteem is pretty low. He used to joke that I would leave him one day which I never understood. In high school there was a suicide attempt but I just thought it was because of all the stress that was happening with his family/teenage hormones/impulse control. Never as an adult has there been any self harm. To my knowledge there was no infidelity or cheating.

I write all this coming from a place of being very hurt, sad, and being in love. Of losing my best friend and husband all at once and truly not understanding it (and neither can anyone else). Since I am not familiar with this potential diagnosis, my question comes down to is there any hope for him to come back? I know that this is personal and nobody is in my husband's brain. But do people who are borderline come back after some time? Does the storyline in their head ever revert back to how things were? Or is this a permanent loss? I took a vow when I was married to be there for sickness and health. I am not trying to abandon my husband. He filed for divorce and wants nothing, just wants to not have me around as his wife. I am trying to see is this like bipolar disorder where people can go through cycles? Like if someone is manic and they come down from the mania. Is there a cycle that he could come down from and be like "oh crap what have I done?" Or is this new found hatred of me a permanent thing? Thank you...

I’m not trying to sound rude, but if the literature and almost all anecdotal reporting shows they usually cannot change…is it anecdotal anymore? It should become a rule I think the success stories are so far few in between that it’s not worth having actual hope. Just protect yourself and hope for the best.

People with BPD, their moods and perceptions are not predictable. And we try to predict them as if they’re even semi neutral on the spectrum. This forum is amazing, helpful, and sad.

While this is anecdotal and not a realistic survey... most of the posts do tend to end with the relationships ended (failed) and without continuing contact or long term friendships even possible.

Yes, there are some circumstances where contact continues but often that is simply to address co-parenting of the children.  Sadly, the impact of negative BPD traits on close relationship is simply that devastating.

We can want to best for such persons but we also must protect our own welfare.  So our concern for the other is probably best from a distance.

I don't care what strangers think of me, but I do like having a partner who likes and respects me. During the love bombing phase I couldn't do anything wrong, and the things she suddenly hated she 'liked' in the beginning.

The weird part is I've seen my ex before her out in public, didn't really have an impact other than 'ugh go the other way'. Two gfs ago, that one came by my house to see how I was doing and that was really weird but I just moved on and shook my head.

No clue what it is about this one. Maybe I'm just in a place in my life where I was wanting marriage and a family, and aside from her psychotic behavior, we really were great 'friends' who had tons in common (or it was mirroring). Who knows, I'm doing better now. I just hate how that just shocked my system like that from a freaken picture.

And a big change, I don't know. I truly have a wonderful and fulfilling life.

Step*

Yeah, I do acknowledge that. I think it is just nice that he had taken a step and maybe that syrup will help him find the motivation he needs to actually start therapy.
Again, my hopes and expectations are on the floor and I'm not banking on this at all. I am standing firm in my position of not wanting to be in a relationship with him and if he abuses my kind nature then the crack in the door will be fully shut.
Have any of ya'll had success with your bpd partners or exes seeking treatment in a real way?

Lots of psychiatric and mood medications have side effects.  Some are minimal but over time many people discontinue them.  The concern is that just because a person needing meds does start using them, it does not mean they have achieved recovery.  They are still the same person, and even they their perceptions and behaviors can resurge.

So while meds can allow improvement and better behavior, it is not generally a cure.  Underneath there still can lurk looming issues.  The changes are induced, the treatments not fully converted to permanent normalcy.

Much of life is a Choice.  Perhaps not a conscious choice, perhaps influenced and made more difficult by environment, genetic variances, and much more.  But... as a person grows toward and into adulthood, to some extent every person has a choice... will they choose to make life better?  None of us are perfect, but it can be a choice to Try.  And we shouldn't feel guilty if we do try to better ourselves and the other doesn't.