We talk a lot about how dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) can help with a range of mental disorders, but especially BPD (BPD). BPD isn’t often in the same discussion as much of the mental health discussion focusing on anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. BPD has one of the strongest stigmas around it to this day. It should have more of a focus, especially since many celebrities also have this disorder. Here are all of the famous people living with BPD, many of which have gotten help from DBT BPD treatment!
1. Marilyn Monroe
| Full Name: | Norma Jeane Mortenson |
| Birth: | June 1, 1926 |
| Die: | August 4, 1962 |
| Occupation: | Actress, model, and singer. |
The late actress and singer was one of the most famous women of the 1950’s. Throughout her life, Monroe suffered from bipolar disorder and major depression and was committed to a mental institution on more than one occasion.
It is believed that her mental health issues were due to an unstable childhood in which her mother suffered from mental health issues, and she did not know her father.
It was never officially stated that Marilyn Monroe was diagnosed with BPD, but she exhibited many of the symptoms. She dealt with abandonment issues, she attempted suicide several times, and drug and alcohol abuse.
2. Princess Diana
| Full Name: | Diana Frances Spencer |
| Birth: | July 1, 1961 |
| Die: | August 31, 1997 |
| Occupation: | Member of the British royal family |
She was the former consort of Charles, Prince of Wales, and the mother of the heir second in line to the British throne, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. During her life, Princess Diana spoke about her depressions, her bulimia, her suicide attempts, her self-mutilation, and her chronic feelings of loneliness and emptiness. Her death sparked widespread conspiracy theories and media attention.
3. Angelina Jolie
| Full Name: | Angelina Jolie Voight |
| Birth: | June 4, 1975 |
| Place of birth: | Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation: | Actress, film director and screenwriter |
Angelina Jolie has received an Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globe Awards. Jolie promotes humanitarian causes, and is noted for her work with refugees as a Special Envoy and former Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Angelina Jolie was diagnosed with BPD in the 1990’s. She checked herself into a mental health institution due to her homicidal and suicidal ideations. Agelina Jolie had a difficult childhood and a publicly strained relationship with her father. She began self-harming as a child, and states that motherhood has been her saving grace in many ways, and helped her cope with her mental health struggles.
4. Britney Spears
| Full Name: | Britney Spears |
| Birth: | December 2, 1981 |
| Place of birth: | McComb, Mississippi, US |
| Occupation: | Singer, songwriter, dancer and actress |
Singer and global megastar Britney Spears has too many hits and awards to list. The pop icon and artist is also famous for her very public struggles, and it is only speculated that some of Britney Spears’s issues resemble the signs of BPD. A breakdown in 2008 was caught on camera, which led her family to get a legal conservatorship over many of her financial and personal affairs. Though she has struggled at times over the years, she remains a top-selling artist. At her fans’ request, Spears recently released the new cover art for her 2016 album “Glory.”
5. Amber Heard
| Full Name: | Amber Laura Heard |
| Birth: | April 22, 1986 |
| Place of birth: | Austin, Texas, US |
| Occupation: | Actress, humanitarian and social activist |
Amber Heard had her first leading role in the horror film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006), and went on to star in films such as The Ward (2010), Drive Angry (2011), and London Fields (2018). Amber Heard is part of the DC Extended Universe franchise, playing Mera in Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and the forthcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). Amber Heard was assessed and diagnosed with a BPD by a forensic psychologist, who met with the actress and reviewed case files from the Johnny Depp defamation trial.
6. Ricky Williams
| Full Name: | Errick Lynne Williams Jr. |
| Birth: | May 21, 1977 |
| Place of birth: | San Diego, California, US |
| Occupation: | Former professional football player |
Ricky Williams was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft after a blockbuster trade and spent three seasons with the team before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2002. He played for the Dolphins for two seasons, leading the league in rushing in 2002, and retired for the first time from football in 2004. Due to a suspension from the NFL, he played for the Toronto Argonauts in 2006.
The former NFL running back retired in 2012 and has since opened up about his struggles with social anxiety, BPD and avoidance disorder at the height of his sporting career. He said it was difficult to cope with during his football career and often led to him running away from fans, refusing interviews, or doing them with his helmet on.
7. Mikey Welsh
| Full Name: | Michael Edward Welsh |
| Birth: | April 20, 1971 |
| Die: | October 8, 2011 |
| Occupation: | Artist and musician |
Mikey Welsh is a musician who was the former bassist of the band Weezer. He ultimately retired after suffering a severe nervous breakdown. He once said, “basically, a lifetime of doing drugs and being undiagnosed as having bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and BPD finally caught up to me when I was 30 years old.”. Unfortunately, in 2011 Welsh died of heart failure from a drug overdose.
8. Madison Bailey
| Full Name: | Madison Lily Bailey |
| Birth: | January 29, 1999 |
| Place of birth: | North Carolina, US |
| Occupation: | Actress and model |
The actress from the TV hit show ‘Outer Banks’ was diagnosed with BPD at the age of 17. Diagnosed with the illness at 17, she has been working to figure things out “day by day.” When therapy didn’t resonate, Bailey turned to self-education and identifying her personal triggers, using those to help manage her condition.
Another important facet of learning to live with her condition has been connecting with others. According to The Might, she has stated, “I’m able to put myself in other people’s shoes easily and deliver empathy with authenticity.” As a member of Generation Z, Bailey is definitely working hard to be a face of mental health struggles in young people, a key aspect to destigmatizing these issues.
9. Lindsay Lohan
| Full Name: | Lindsay Dee Lohan |
| Birth: | July 2, 1986 |
| Place of birth: | New York City |
| Occupation: | Actress and singer |
Lindsay Lohan has displayed many symptoms of BPD such as substance and alcohol abuse, impulsive and self-destructive behaviours like self-harm. Lindsay Lohan wears the scars of self-mutilation, and has stated in several interviews that she cuts herself. It is not uncommon for those with mental health conditions to slice the skin as a way to release the build-up of intense negative emotions.
10. Megan Fox
| Full Name: | Megan Denise Fox |
| Birth: | May 16, 1986 |
| Place of birth: | Oak Ridge, Tennessee, US |
| Occupation: | Actress |
Megan Fox began modelling at the age of 13, and won several awards. She made her acting debut at the age of 15 when she played ‘Brianna’ in the film ‘Holiday in the Sun.’ She received her breakthrough role as ‘Mikaela Banes’ opposite Shia LaBeouf in ‘Transformers’ for which she was nominated for a ‘MTV Movie Award’ and three ‘Teen Choice Awards’.
However, it was her role in the sequel ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ that brought her much acclaim. The talented actress is no stranger to mental illness. She has displayed many symptoms of BPD including impulsive behaviour, and emotional instability. Megan Fox has openly shared her mental health struggles with the media.
11. Nessa Barrett
| Full Name: | Janessa Jacinda Barrett |
| Birth: | August 6, 2002 |
| Place of birth: | Absecon, New Jersey, US |
| Occupation: | Singer and musician |
Nessa Barrett has been open about her mental health issues, including depression, BPD, suicidal thoughts, and eating disorders. She started therapy at age 6 and made her first suicide attempt at age 14 by overdosing on a analgesic, after which she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. When she was 17 years old, after her parents objected, she ran away from home to live in Los Angeles, where she expected more career opportunities.
When she was 18, she was diagnosed with BPD. She made another suicide attempt in 2022 after her best friend, Cooper Noriega, died of an accidental drug overdose. Her manager then admitted her to a psychiatric hospital.
12. Anna Nicole Smith
| Full Name: | Vicky Lynn Hogan |
| Birth: | November 28, 1967 |
| Die: | February 8, 2007 |
| Occupation: | Model, actress, and television personality |
Anna Nicole Smith first gained popularity in Playboy when she won the title of Playmate of the Year. While Smith was successful as a model, she never found the same recognition or success as an actress. Nicole also starred in the E! reality show – ”The Anna Nicole Show.”
Anna Nicole Smith had a BPD and was addicted to prescription medications, a hospital psychiatrist has told a court. Dr Nathalie Maullin added the medication given to the model by a doctor now on trial was “overkill” for the kind of pain she was describing.
13. Amy Winehouse
| Full Name: | Amy Jade Winehouse |
| Birth: | September 14, 1983 |
| Die: | July 23, 2011 |
| Occupation: | Singer and songwriter |
Sadly, Amy Winehouse, famous for her smoky voice and heartfelt songs like “Rehab,” overdosed in July 2011, becoming yet another member of the infamous 27 Club of musicians that died at the young age of 27. Amy Winehouse publicly struggled with addiction, depression, and a number of other hallmarks of untreated BPD, although doctors only speculated after she died that she may have had BPD.
14. Jim Carrey
| Full Name: | James Eugene Carrey |
| Birth: | January 17, 1962 |
| Place of birth: | Newmarket, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation: | Actor, comedian and artist |
Jim Carrey grew up in and around Toronto. At age eight he began making faces before a mirror and discovered a talent for doing impressions. After leaving school in 1978 to help support his family, Carrey worked for two years as a janitor in a factory. He made his professional debut as a stand-up comedian in a Toronto club at age 15 and by 1979 he was able to make a living as a comedian.
Though he’s an icon for making audiences laugh, Jim Carrey, has been uniquely open in interviews and on social media about his struggles with depression, although he has never mentioned a diagnosis of BPD. In recent years, the actor and comedian have taken to the meditative and expressive practice of painting while putting much of his work out on his Instagram account.
15. Ben Stiller
| Full Name: | Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller |
| Birth: | November 30, 1965 |
| Place of birth: | New York City, New York |
| Occupation: | Actor, comedian and filmmaker |
Ben Stiller was the son of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, who for many years were a celebrated comedy team. While growing up, he occasionally appeared on television with his parents and made his own amateur Super-8 films, which often parodied blockbusters of the time.
Throughout his career, he has received various awards and honours, including an Emmy Award, multiple MTV Movie Awards, a Britannia Award and a Teen Choice Award. Although he does not like to admit his BPD in public, he has diagnosed it and is characterised by his perfectionism on set and off. Everything has to be to his liking, otherwise, he has a burst of anger. He is very obsessive about everything he does and the people around him.
16. Linsey Godfrey
| Full Name: | Linsey Michelle Godfrey |
| Birth: | July 25, 1988 |
| Place of birth: | Bartow, Florida, US |
| Occupation: | Actress |
She played Caroline Spencer on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful from March 2012 to October 2016, before returning in a recurring capacity from December 2016 to March 2018. She played Sarah Horton on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives from July 2018 to March 2021 before returning in January 2022.
In May 2019, Godfrey publicly stated that she had an abortion and that she did not regret her decision to get one. On March 9, 2021, Godfrey revealed on Instagram that she has been diagnosed with bipolar 2 and BPD. Godfrey is a celebrity ambassador for the NGO INARA. Founded by Arwa Damon in 2015, the organisation provides medical treatment to children injured as a result of war.
17. Chris Caruana
| Full Name: | Chris Caruana |
| Birth: | March 18, 1971 |
| Place of birth: | Sydney, South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Former professional rugby league footballer |
Chris Caruana played for the North Sydney Bears and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He primarily played in the centres. After retiring from first grade rugby league, Caruana moved to Woolgoolga and had some involvement in country rugby league in the town. On 21 May 2010, Caruana pleaded guilty to assault in relation to his former partner. Released on conditional bail, Caruana was to reappear in the Coffs Harbour Local Court to be sentenced on 21 July 2010.
In 2012, Caruana was reported as living homeless after years of suffering from BPD. In January 2023, Caruana revealed his battle with Ice, being homeless, and how has been dependant from Ice for 33 months
18. Brandon Marshall
| Full Name: | Brandon Tyrone Marshall |
| Birth: | March 23, 1984 |
| Place of birth: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,US |
| Occupation: | Football player |
Brandon Marshall is an NFL wide receiver who has played professional football for the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, and several other teams. He holds the NFL record for most receptions in a single game with 21 catches. Marshall is officially one of only several famous people with BPD who has been diagnosed and publicly opened up about his illness. In fact, he has been very outspoken and helped to spread awareness about mental illness. He is the founder of Project 365, an organisation dedicated to educating others about mental health.
19. Bobby Mair
| Full Name: | Bobby Mair |
| Birth: | January 5, 1986 |
| Place of birth: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation: | Comedian |
Bobby Mair has appeared on The Hour, Russell Howard’s Good News, Sweat the Small Stuff, Virtually Famous, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Sam Delaney’s News Thing , 8 Out of 10 Cats and Live at The Rivermill. Mair won the Laughing Horse New Act Of The Year competition in 2012. He has supported Jerry Sadowitz, Doug Stanhope and Bill Burr.
Bobby Mair cited his traumatic childhood on the ‘You’ll do’ podcast. He has been diagnosed with BPD saying “It’s a disease that has been in the public eye for years but never gets as much attention as bipolar or schizophrenia”. Mair suffered from alcohol and drug addiction.
20. Doc Corbin Dart
| Full Name: | Doc Corbin Dart |
| Birth: | March 16, 1953 |
| Place of birth: | American |
| Occupation: | Musician and former vocalist |
Dart’s unorthodox vocal stylings have been described as wailing and alarming, while others have described them favourably as heartfelt and influenced by Pete Shelley of iconic UK punk group Buzzcocks. His lyrics alternate between personal themes of abandonment and depression, and an anarchist worldview. Dart has BPD and his first solo album, Patricia, was named after his therapist.
21. Derek Owusu
| Full Name: | Derek Owusu |
| Birth: | 1988 |
| Place of birth: | London, UK |
| Occupation: | Writer and podcaster |
Derek Owusu began work on his debut novel after suffering a mental breakdown and having to spend time in a mental health facility. That Reminds Me, a coming-of-age story about a young Ghanaian called “K”, was published in 2019, the first novel from Stormzy’s imprint #Merky Books, and was awarded the 2020 Desmond Elliott Prize. Owusu himself lives with a diagnosis of BPD. It was described by The Herald as a “virtuosic debut by a raw new talent”.
22. Doug Ferrari
| Full Name: | Doug Ferrari |
| Birth: | December 25, 1956 |
| Place of birth: | San Francisco |
| Occupation: | Stand-up comedian and comedy writer |
Doug Ferrari is a San Francisco comedian and writer known by many as, “Dougzilla.” His struggles with addiction and mental illness led him to be homeless for some time before receiving treatment and returning to the comedy stage. Doug has been open about his BPD diagnosis and has stated that it was part of the reason he was homeless for a period. Since his return, he has been active with homeless charities.
23. Robbie Williams
| Full Name: | Robert Peter Williams |
| Birth: | February 13, 1964 |
| Place of birth: | Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, UK |
| Occupation: | Singer and songwriter |
His discography includes seven UK No. 1 singles, and all but one of his 14 studio albums have reached No.1 in the UK. Six of his albums are among the top 100 biggest-selling albums in the UK, with two of them in the top 60, and he gained a Guinness World Record in 2006 for selling 1.6 million tickets in a single day during his Close Encounters Tour.
British pop star Robbie Williams didn’t “pull any punches” when talking about his mental health in a 2018 interview, saying, “I’ve got a disease that wants to kill me and it’s in my head, so I have to guard against that.” Even though he went public with his struggles, he hasn’t mentioned a diagnosis of BPD.
24. Elizabeth Wurtzel
| Full Name: | Elizabeth Lee Wurtzel |
| Birth: | July 31, 1967 |
| Die: | January 7, 2020 |
| Occupation: | Writer, journalist, and lawyer |
Author Elizabeth Wurtzel, who sadly died of cancer in January 2020, was famous for writing “Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America.” She penned this memoir at the ripe old age of 26. Elizabeth Wurtzel battled serious mental health issues but was able to open a dialogue with the public about these common struggles through her storytelling, though nothing was ever mentioned about BPD.
25. Pete Davidson
| Full Name: | Peter Michael Davidson |
| Birth: | November 16, 1993 |
| Place of birth: | New York, US |
| Occupation: | Comedian, actor and writer |
Pete Davidson is a comedian on Saturday Night Live. Some people have said Davidson shouldn’t be dating due to his BPD diagnosis, to which he responded to say, “just because someone has a mm, mental illness does not mean they can’t be happy, and in a relationship”.
During an interview on comedian Marc Maron’s podcast, Davidson clarified that the only drug he used was marijuana and, while he has since cut back on its use considerably, the personal and emotional problems he initially assumed were the result of his daily marijuana use were actually caused by his newly diagnosed BPD, for which he has since been undergoing treatment.
26. Left at London
| Full Name: | Nat Puff |
| Birth: | June 18, 1996 |
| Place of birth: | Seattle,Washington, D.C |
| Occupation: | Singer, songwriter, producer, comedian and internet personality |
She originally gained fame by posting short comedy sketches on Vine as well as parodies of musicians Frank Ocean, Tyler, the Creator, and Mitski. Since then she has garnered fame as an indie pop musician with several EPs including the Transgender Street Legend trilogy and the song “Revolution Lover”.
Nat Puff is a lesbian and a non-binary trans woman who uses she/her pronouns. Throughout her life she has struggled with ADHD, PTSD, BPD, autism spectrum disorder, and OSDD-1b. She has frequently voiced support of plural systems.She says that her autism is what allows her to be so good at impressions, saying “I’m used to mimicking others in order to seem neurotypical and I’ve gotten really adept at observing things like speech patterns.
27. Kate Bornstein
| Full Name: | Katherine Vandam Bornstein |
| Birth: | March 15, 1948 |
| Place of birth: | Asbury Park, New Jersey, US |
| Occupation: | Author, playwright, performance artist, actor, and gender theorist |
In 1986, Kate Bornstein started identifying as gender non-conforming and has stated “I don’t call myself a woman, and I know I’m not a man” after having been assigned male at birth and receiving sex reassignment surgery. Bornstein now identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them and she/her. Kate Bornstein has BPD. Bornstein has also written about having anorexia, being a survivor of PTSD and being diagnosed with BPD.
28. Kjartan Slettemark
| Full Name: | Kjartan Slettemark |
| Birth: | August 6, 1932 |
| Die: | December 13, 2008 |
| Occupation: | Artist |
He first made a name for himself as an artist with a collage he placed in front of the Parliament of Norway in 1965, titled “From a report from Vietnam: Children are splashed with napalm. Their skin is burnt into black wounds and they die.” This work consists of, among other things, a red mouth, an American flag and the figure of a child. It was donated to the National Gallery in Oslo in 1982.
Slettemark insisted that he was an artist, but was diagnosed borderline, and received a prescription for Hibernal (tablets for treatment of psychosis). Instead of taking the pills, Slettemark used them in his art. During the “Lecture in the art of falling”, he balanced on a line in Stockholm, visualising his three years of conflict with Swedish psychiatry. The photographer Brita Olsson took pictures of the event.
29. Nikki Hayes
| Full Name: | Eimear O’ Keeffe |
| Birth: | May 7, 1979 |
| Place of birth: | County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Occupation: | DJ |
In 2015, Nikki spent 5 weeks in a psychiatric ward where she was diagnosed with an emotionally unstable personality disorder. In 2017, Nikki wrote for Independent: ”I have lived with BPD most of, if not all of, my life. It first manifested enough to have medical intervention in my teens but working with psychiatrists and channelling back it is most likely I have had it all of my life.” She has revealed in an interview: “One of my biggest supports has been my husband and due to BPD and the way it can make you act out, unfortunately, we separated earlier on this year.”
30. Trisha Paytas
| Full Name: | Trisha Kay Paytas |
| Birth: | May 8, 1988 |
| Place of birth: | Riverside, California, US |
| Occupation: | Youtuber and singer |
Her YouTube channel consists of a wide variety of content including lifestyle-oriented vlogs, music videos, and mukbangs. As of July 2022, she has accumulated roughly 5 million subscribers and 1 billion lifetime views. Paytas co-hosted Frenemies with fellow YouTuber Ethan Klein. Additionally, she has worked independently as a singer, releasing several records and singles, and appeared in television shows and films.
Paytas has suffered from mental health problems, having been diagnosed with BPD. In an interview on the H3 Podcast, Paytas stated she used to have substance abuse problems and was once hospitalised after a methamphetamine overdose.Paytas has stated that her main addiction was to prescription pills
31. Nicola Thorp
| Full Name: | Nicola Sian Thorp |
| Birth: | September 30, 1988 |
| Place of birth: | Blackpool,Lancashire, UK |
| Occupation: | Actress, columnist and activist |
She is known for her role as Nicola Rubinstein in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2017–2019). In a 2018 interview with Emma Barnett on Radio 5 Live, Nicola Thorp admitted to having been so depressed that it had led to a nervous breakdown six years before. She has also revealed that she had been diagnosed with BPD.
As of 2018, Nicola Thorp lived on a canal boat, which she would regularly move to different moorings while using her parents’ postal address. Nicola Thorp supported and campaigned for the Labour Party in the run-up to the 2019 general election, believing a Labour government would revitalise seaside towns such as Blackpool.
32. Emma Forrest
| Full Name: | Emma Forrest |
| Birth: | December 26, 1976 |
| Place of birth: | London, England |
| Occupation: | Film director, screenwriter and novelist |
At age fifteen, Emma Forrest wrote a story on Madonna for the London Evening Standard. She left school to write her “Generation X” column for the Sunday Times, writing about various britpop/indie bands “on the road”. The vanished Manic Street Preacher member Richey Edwards was the first person interviewed.
Emma Forrest was in a relationship with actor Colin Farrell, whom she met in 2008. She refers to him in her memoir as “GH,” short for “Gypsy Husband.” In June 2012, Forrest married Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn, who won notice in Animal Kingdom. They had one child together in 2014, and divorced in 2016. Emma Forrest has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and BPD.
33. Madison Beer
| Full Name: | Madison Elle Beer. |
| Birth: | March 5, 1999 |
| Place of birth: | Jericho, New York |
| Occupation: | Singer and actress |
Madison Beer gained substantial media coverage when Justin Bieber posted a link to one of her covers. She released her debut single, “Melodies”, in 2013. Aside from her solo work, Beer has voiced the virtual character Evelynn in the League of Legends virtual band K/DA. As a member of the group she has released the internationally charting singles “Pop/Stars” (2018) and “More” (2020).
Madison Beer has spoken publicly about being diagnosed with BPD: “The BPD community is very loving and accepting and I have met a lot of friends in it already,” Madison told Belfast Telegraph. ”I am really lucky that I have such an amazing therapist who has helped me navigate it.
34. Darren Day
| Full Name: | Darren Day |
| Birth: | July 17, 1968 |
| Place of birth: | Colchester, Essex, UK |
| Occupation: | actor, singer and television presenter |
In the 1990s, Darren Day was engaged to Anna Friel, Tracy Shaw and Isla Fisher. In the 2000s, he was engaged to Adele Vellacott and later Suzanne Shaw. In 2007, he wed actress Stephanie Dooley and divorced in 2019. In April 2010, Darren Day was found guilty of his second drink-driving offence in two years, and banned from driving for five years, and also of possessing an offensive weapon, namely a kubotan-style keyring, by a court in Edinburgh. In August 2020, Darren Day got engaged to Sophie Ladds and disclosed his BPD.
35. Joe Tracini
| Full Name: | Joe James Pasquale |
| Birth: | July 19, 1988 |
| Place of birth: | Great Yarmouth, England |
| Occupation: | Actor, presenter and author |
He appeared in the role of Dennis Savage in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. His previous TV acting credits have included the BBC Three comedy series Coming of Age and the Boomerang children’s sitcom My Spy Family. His theatre credits include Spamalot, starring in the role of Patsy during a touring version of the production in 2015. In 2019, Tracini revealed over Twitter that he had been struggling with addiction issues and had been diagnosed with BPD. In 2022, he published his first book, Ten Things I Hate About Me
36. Courtney Love
| Full Name: | Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison) |
| Birth: | July 9, 1964 |
| Place of birth: | San Francisco, California, US |
| Occupation: | Singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress |
Courtney Love formed Hole in 1989 and was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist. In her book, Kim Gordon writes about her encounters with Courtney Love. According to LoudWire, Kim even suggested Courtney Love might have a BPD: ”No one ever questions the disorder behind her tarantula LA glamour – sociopathy, narcissism – because it’s good rock and roll, good entertainment!”.
37. Scott Levy ”Raven”
| Full Name: | Scott Levy |
| Birth: | September 8, 1964 |
| Place of birth: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Occupation: | Professional wrestler |
He is 4-time ECW World Tag Team Champion and 2-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion. Raven has histrionic, borderline, and narcissistic personality disorder. He said in an interview: ”Because I have narcissistic personality disorder, I have histrionic personality disorder, I have BPD, I’ve been diagnosed, I have a lot of emotional, mental issues.” Scott went on to say: ”It stems from me not being abused as a child, but being neglected as a child. That was just as bad, if not worse than abuse.”
38. Sunmi
| Full Name: | Lee Sun Mi |
| Birth: | May 2, 1992 |
| Place of birth: | South Korea |
| Occupation: | Singer and songwriter |
Sunmi debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the group in 2010 to pursue her studies. After a three-year hiatus, Sunmi resumed her career as a soloist with her 2013 debut extended play, Full Moon, spawning the number two singles “24 Hours” and “Full Moon” on the national Gaon Digital Chart.
In 2015, Sunmi was announced to be resuming promotion with the Wonder Girls and remained with the group until their disbandment in 2017. She subsequently left JYP Entertainment and joined Makeus Entertainment (now known as Abyss Company), releasing the hit single “Gashina”. Sunmi has been diagnosed with BPD, which she wrote about in her song “Borderline”, released in August 2021.
39. Sinead O’Connor
| Full Name: | Shuhada’ Sadaqat |
| Birth: | December 8, 1966 |
| Place of birth: | Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation: | Singer and songwriter |
A popular musician in the ’90s, Sinead O’Connor has long been known for some of her more scandalous moments, like ripping up a photo of the pope on Saturday Night Live. However, people often wondered about her mental health, and as it turned out, O’Connor lives with BPD and complex PTSD (C-PTSD), according to The New York Times.
After years of struggle, including time in and out of mental health facilities, she has finally arrived at a place of greater solitude. She shunned the spotlight, moved back to a remote town in her native Ireland, and has recently finished her memoir. Most importantly, however, she does not regret the actions of her past, despite the ensuing struggles she endured.
40. Satan Panonski
| Full Name: | Ivica Čuljak |
| Birth: | June 4, 1960 |
| Die: | January 27, 1992 |
| Occupation: | Punk musician, poet, artist and freak performer |
On 29 November 1981 (Yugoslavia’s Republic Day), following a violent altercation at a Meri Cetinić concert, Satan Panonski stabbed a man who, according to Čuljak, had molested his brother, 15 times. The victim died instantly. He defended himself on the count of self-defence. He was sentenced to 12 years of prison in the notorious Goli Otok, and subsequently transferred to Popovača neuropsychiatric hospital.
Satan Panonski would spend nine years in Popovača, where he was diagnosed with BPD. The murder would leave a lasting effect on Satan Panonski. Milorad Milinković suggested that Satan Panonski self-harmed out of remorse.
41. Danniella Westbrook
| Full Name: | Danniella Westbrook |
| Birth: | November 5, 1973 |
| Place of birth: | Walthamstow, London, UK |
| Occupation: | Actress |
Danniella Westbrook better known for originating the role of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, playing her on-and-off from 1990 to 2000 and 2009 to 2016. Walthamstow, London. In May 2017, Westbrook discussed her mental health on the panel series Loose Women, saying “I have BPD, I’m bipolar, [paranoid] schizophrenia, I’ve got lots of different things”.
In August 2018, Westbrook underwent treatment for womb cancer after the disease was misdiagnosed. A year later, she was given the all-clear. In May 2022, she developed septicaemia due to an undisclosed cause and was admitted to an Intensive Care Unit. She recovered completely following prompt treatment.
42. Hugo Schwyzer
| Full Name: | Hugo Benedict Schwyzer |
| Birth: | May 22, 1967 |
| Place of birth: | Santa Barbara, California, US |
| Occupation: | Author, speaker and former instructor of history and gender studies |
Schwyzer became the subject of controversy when he disclosed to school administration and the general public his many affairs with his young female college students. In several blog posts and interviews, Schwyzer further admitted to an ongoing problem with alcohol and drug abuse, a decades-long struggle with BPD and bipolar depression, and a violent murder-suicide attempt with his ex-girlfriend while both were under the influence of narcotics in the summer of 1998.
43. Tas Pappas
| Full Name: | Tasou Micah Pappas |
| Birth: | February 9, 1975 |
| Place of birth: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Sponsored skateboarder |
He was previously a professional skateboarder, primarily in the discipline of vert skateboarding, and competed in a number of major international events. During the 1990s, he and brother Ben Pappas were highly regarded skateboarders on a global scale, reaching the top two places in the world rankings.
In May 2014, Pappas revealed in an interview that he had been diagnosed with BPD in connection with his experience of sexual abuse as a young child. His self-destructive behaviour was identified as a manifestation of the disorder. In regard to the personal life recovery process that he was continuing with at the time of the interview, Pappas stated:
“Everything had to happen for me to learn … Dad had to die, Ben had to die, I had to lose my kids. I had to be humbled. I was too angry and I had to be crippled and put on my knees to finally realise I’m not in charge.”
44. Mikaela Spielberg
| Full Name: | Mikaela George Spielberg |
| Birth: | February 28, 1996 |
| Place of birth: | Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation: | Adult film artist |
She is best known for her brother Steven Spielberg who is an American filmmaker and is considered one of the most popular directors and producers in the film industry. Mikaela Spielberg was adopted as a baby by Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw. Over the past few years, she has struggled with alcoholism, BPD, and anorexia, all of which she says are the result of childhood sexual abuse. Mikaela also announced her plans to break into the world of adult entertainment. Mikaela said:
”I’m doing this, not out of an urge to hurt anybody or be spiteful about it, I’m doing this because I want to honour my body in a way that’s lucrative.”
45. Darrell Hammond
| Full Name: | Darrell Clayton Hammond |
| Birth: | October 8, 1955 |
| Place of birth: | Melbourne, Florida, US |
| Occupation: | Actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, and announcer. |
Darrell Hammond was a regular cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2009, and has been its announcer since 2014.Upon his departure from the cast in 2009, Hammond, at age 53, was the oldest cast member in the show’s history. On September 19, 2014, Hammond was announced as the new announcer of SNL, replacing Don Pardo, who had died the month before.
He has made more SNL appearances than any other cast member and impersonated more than 107 celebrities, with Bill Clinton as his most frequent impression. Hammond revealed in 2011 that his mother had severely abused him as a child. This childhood trauma led to self-harm and diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and BPD.
46. Susanna Kaysen
| Full Name: | Susanna Kaysen |
| Birth: | November 11, 1948 |
| Place of birth: | Cambridge, Massachusetts, US |
| Occupation: | Author |
She is the daughter of Annette (Neutra) and economist Carl Kaysen, a professor at MIT and former advisor to President John F. Kennedy. Her family is Jewish. Kaysen attended high school at the Commonwealth School in Boston, and The Cambridge School of Weston, before being sent to McLean Hospital in 1967 to undergo psychiatric treatment for depression.
While there, Susanna Kaysenwas diagnosed with BPD. She was released after 18 months. She drew on this experience for her memoir Girl, Interrupted in 1993, which was adapted into a film; she was portrayed by actress Winona Ryder. She lived for a time in the Faroe Islands, upon which her novel Far Afield is based.
47. Janet Devlin
| Full Name: | Janet Maureen Aoife Devlin |
| Birth: | November 12, 1994 |
| Place of birth: | Gortin, Northern Ireland |
| Occupation: | Singer and songwriter |
In March 2020, Devlin posted a video on YouTube explaining that she was a recovering alcoholic, and had been sober since the age of twenty. Devlin explained, “I hit many rock bottoms, to be honest, but I kept digging […] I definitely displayed addictive behaviours from a young age. I would definitely say I was born an addict. […] It’s not that I was ashamed but I never found the right time to say it.” Devlin added that during her time on X factor she felt a lot of “self hatred” and cites loneliness as one of the causes for her alcoholism. She is bisexual and has been diagnosed with BPD and bipolar disorder.
48. Sammy thrashLife
| Full Name: | Sam North |
| Birth: | November 4, 1985 |
| Place of birth: | New York city, US |
| Occupation: | Painter and writer |
Sammy thrashLife best known for his art and blog, chronicling his experiences with BPD, his history with heroin addiction and recovery, and his involvement in the American punk rock scene thrashLife’s father is musician Ian North of Milk ‘N’ Cookies, Neo, and Darkjet.
On August 25, 2015, the state of Illinois charged Sammy thrashLife with criminal sexual assault. One week later, a blog entry appeared on thrashLife’s website, stating: “I didn’t do this. The truth will come out.” At a preliminary hearing on September 15, a circuit court judge ruled there was no probable cause to believe thrashLife had committed any crime and the charges against him were dismissed.
49. Vincent van Gogh
| Full Name: | Vincent Willem van Gogh |
| Birth: | March 30, 1853 |
| Die: | July 29, 1890 |
| Occupation: | Post-Impressionist painter |
Vincent van Gogh became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art.
There is no consensus on Vincent van Gogh’s health. His death in 1890 is generally accepted to have been a suicide. Many competing hypotheses have been advanced as to possible medical conditions from which he may have suffered. Many analysts, such as American psychiatrist Dietrich Blumer, agree that one of the things Vincent van Gogh suffered from was bipolar disorder.
50. Marsha M. Linehan
| Full Name: | Marsha M. Linehan |
| Birth: | May 5, 1943 |
| Place of birth: | Tulsa, Oklahoma, US |
| Occupation: | Creator of dialectical behaviour therapy, psychologist, professor, author |
Linehan is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle and Director of the Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics. Her primary research is in borderline personality disorder, the application of behavioral models to suicidal behaviors, and drug abuse.
At 17 in 1961, Linehan detailed how when she came to the clinic, she attacked herself habitually, cut her arms, legs and stomach, and burnt her wrists with cigarettes. She was kept in a seclusion room in the clinic because of a never-ending urge to cut herself and to die. Since borderline personality disorder was not discovered yet, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and medicated heavily with Thorazine and Librium, as well as strapped down for forced electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Nothing worked.