Borderline Personality Disorder is not a mental illness. It's a personality disorder. It's a collection of adaptive behaviors that a person has learned in order to cope with life. It's not an illness that can be treated medically. People can be taught to re-adapt their behaviors.. There are awful stigmas associated with BPD. It's understandable that people run from the diagnosis. There needs to be a shift in the mental health treatment community on how people with BPD are perceived and treated. No one should have to hide behind another diagnosis because they fear stigma for what they struggle with. .Unfortunately, there are psychiatrists that consider DID "BPD on steroids". So the problems with stigma people with BPD face, DID patients face as well. There is a connection even though they are very different problems.