Famous People With Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a disorder that is diagnosed in 2 percent of the population. There are so many different elements of BPD, which make it hard to diagnose. BPD can co-exist with depression, post traumatic stress disorder, biploar disorder, anxiety disorders and other disorders that may hide or hinder the true BPD diagnosis. There are also stigmas attached to mental illness so people, famous or not, often do not come forward with their diagnosis without the proper support. Identifying famous people with BPD is difficult because of this. There is no famous spokesperson for BPD as there is for other disorders.

Adolph Hitler

• Adolph Hitler definitely had the anti-social and narcissistic aspects of BPD. He also had inappropriate ways of controlling emotions.

Susanna Kayson

• Susanna Kayson made her BPD diagnosis public in her autobiography, "Girl, Interrupted," which was later made into a movie starring Winona Rider and Angelina Jolie.

Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald

• The writer, and wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, was hospitalized several times. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic depression before her BPD diagnosis.

Princess Diana

• There is speculation that Princess Diana had BPD. Some of her behaviors certainly fit many of the criteria found in the DSM-IV ("Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders").

Marilyn Monroe

• While there is no proof of Marilyn Monroe being diagnosed with BPD, many of her actions and behaviors are indicative of the disorder. Promiscuity, taking drugs and suicidal ideation are some of the criteria Monroe fits for the diagnosis.

Other Famous Borderlines?

• There may be other famous people who have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder but choose not to disclose that information because of the stigma associated with the illness.