The following is an educational webinar about Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Substance Use, featuring Dr. Maggie Davis from Yale University, as well as Alex and Kellin, who are panelists with lived experience.

Dr. Davis is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at Yale University School of Medicine in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology.  Her research and clinical work focus on understanding and reducing risk for suicide and negative outcomes in people with trauma related psychopathology, including BPD and substance use. She is the director of the UPLiFT lab (Understanding and Preventing Loss after Trauma;  https://www.upliftlab.net/)

Alex (pronouns he/him) will be joining our panel from New York. Alex has lived experience with BPD and will share his experiences about how BPD and substance use have affected his life. 

Kellin is 24 years old and uses he/they pronouns. Kellin graduated college with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and is currently a caseworker. As someone who has been through sexual abuse, emotional abuse, addiction, suicide ideation, etc., Kellin has collected many diagnoses over the years; however, the diagnosis Kellin feels is the most impactful on him and others is borderline personality disorder. Kellin hopes to prove to people that there are positives of BPD.

Did you know that more than half of people with BPD also struggle with substance use or dependence, which can impact treatment and recovery? 

Substance use can also affect relationships, housing, job security and other aspects of life. Substance use can be associated with specific symptoms of BPD such as self-harm, impulsivity, and experiencing extreme emotions. These symptoms may increase risk for substance  use or overdose. 

This panel will give an overview of BPD and substance use and its treatments. Funding for this webinar has been made available through the generosity of the Fishman Family Foundation.