Is Medication the Best Solution for BPD?

In this episode, I sit down with Professor Joanna Moncrieff, Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London and practising consultant psychiatrist, for a conversation that challenges some of the assumptions about mental health, psychiatric diagnosis and medication.

Joanna's work has challenged the idea that psychiatric drugs work by correcting an underlying “chemical imbalance” in the brain. So what does that mean for people with BPD?

Content note: This episode discusses psychiatric medication, depression, suicide, trauma and mental health diagnoses.

⚠️ This episode is for education and discussion, not medical advice. Please don't stop or change any medication without talking to your prescriber. Some medications can cause withdrawal effects if stopped suddenly.

🌱 Have questions, stories, or something you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at bpddiariespodcast@gmail.com and let’s keep the conversation going.

If you’d like more support in your journey toward BPD recovery, Steff offers 1:1 sessions using evidence-based tools from DBT, Schema Therapy, and Mindfulness to help you heal. Email for a free 30-Minute Consultation:

📩 steff@bpdsupport.org or check out the website: www.bpdsupport.org

References

Moncrieff, J. (2025). Chemically imbalanced: The making and unmaking of the serotonin myth. The History Press.

Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R. E., Stockmann, T., Amendola, S., Hengartner, M. P., & Horowitz, M. A. (2023). The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence. Molecular Psychiatry, 28(8), 3243–3256. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0

Moncrieff, J., Cooper, R. E., Stockmann, T., Amendola, S., Hengartner, M. P., & Horowitz, M. A. (2024). Difficult lives explain depression better than broken brains. Molecular Psychiatry, 29(1), 206–209. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02462-3

Stoffers-Winterling, J. M., Storebø, O. J., Pereira Ribeiro, J., Kongerslev, M. T., Völlm, B. A., Mattivi, J. T., Faltinsen, E., Todorovac, A., Jørgensen, M. S., Callesen, H. E., Sales, C. P., Schaug, J. P., Simonsen, E., & Lieb, K. (2022). Pharmacological interventions for people with borderline personality disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2022(11), Article CD012956. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012956.pub2

Streit, F., Awasthi, S., Hall, A. S. M., Braun, A., Niarchou, M., Marouli, E., Babajide, O., Frank, J., Zillich, L., Callies, C. M., Avetyan, D., Zillich, E., Naamanka, J., Gonzalez, J., Harder, A., Lu, Y., Aherrahrou, Z., Ahmad, Z.-U.-A., Ask, H., ... Witt, S. H. (2026). Genome-wide association analyses of borderline personality disorder identify 11 loci and highlight shared risk with mental and somatic disorders. Nature Genetics, 58(8), 1831–1844. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-026-02654-3

I Was Hospitalised Again and Again. Then I Discovered DBT

What does recovery from BPD actually look like?

In this deeply honest conversation, Debbie DeMarco Bennett, better known as Debbie Corso, author of Stronger Than BPD and founder of DBT Path, takes us back to the years when her life was dominated by intense emotions, chaotic relationships, suicidal thoughts and repeated psychiatric hospitalizations.

Debbie talks openly about being misunderstood and misdiagnosed, the stigma surrounding BPD, her eventual diagnosis, and the moment DBT began to change the course of her life.

Debbie also talks about her concerns about the potential risks of the growing reliance on AI for emotional support and why she wants to be part of shaping how we use it safely.

This is a conversation about BPD, DBT, recovery, hope, lived experience, stigma, relationships, AI and what it means to build a life worth living.

Resources & Links

DBT Path
The DBT program offers a 9-month DBT skills class and is designed to make DBT accessible to people worldwide .

Website with Blog: https://emotionallysensitive.com/

Debbie's books (written under her pen name, Debbie Corso):

• Stronger Than BPD: The Girl's Guide to Taking Control of Intense Emotions, Drama, and Chaos Using DBT
• The Stronger Than BPD Journal: DBT Activities to Help You Manage Emotions, Heal from Borderline Personality Disorder, and Discover the Wise Woman Within (co-written with Kathryn C. Holt, LCSW

Other Books Mentioned:

• Self-Compassion Workbook for BPD: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills to Find Self-Forgiveness, Healing, and Self-Love with Borderline Personality Disorder by Amanda Smith

• The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, MD

🌱 Have questions, stories, or something you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at bpddiariespodcast@gmail.com and let’s keep the conversation going.

If you’d like more support in your journey toward BPD recovery, Steff offers 1:1 sessions using evidence-based tools from DBT, Schema Therapy, and Mindfulness to help you heal. Email for a free 30-Minute Consultation:

📩 steff@bpdsupport.org or check out the website: www.bpdsupport.org