Personality Disorder Assignment Project

Select one of the following personality disorders; borderline, antisocial, or narcisistic personality disorder SEE ATTACHED NOTES

Use the Research Analysis to complete this assignment.

Prepare at least 1,100 word paper that discusses research-based interventions to treat psychopathology. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

Review the characteristics of the selected disorder and discuss the research about intervention strategies for the disorder by completing the following:

* Evaluate three peer-reviewed research studies using the University of Phoenix Material: Research Analysis.

* Conceptualize the disorder using the DSM-5, diathesis stress or biopsychosocial model. ( link to explain these models https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diathesis%E2%80%93stress_model)

* Discuss the treatments or interventions that have been shown to be the most effective for your selected disorder.

Cite at least five peer-reviewed sources.

 

 

 

TRANSCRIPT of Video

Video Link http://fod.infobase.com/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=41359

 

Cite Information: Should I live, should I die? Understanding borderline personality disorder [Video file]. (2004). Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=18566&xtid=41359

>> Narrator: RACHAEL KAVANAGH IS PREPARING FOR AN EVENT SHE NEVER DREAMED WOULD HAPPEN. ON SATURDAY SHE’S GETTING MARRIED. IT’S BEEN A DIFFICULT ADJUSTMENT BECAUSE SHE HAD SOMETHING ELSE IN MIND.

>> THE PLAN WAS TO BE DEAD BY THIRTY. I GAVE MYSELF NO MORE TIME THAN THAT. I WAS ENTIRELY SICK OF DISAPPOINTMENT, I WAS SICK OF LETTING MYSELF DOWN AND I WAS TIRED OF TRYING TO IMPRESS OTHER PEOPLE, UNDERSTAND THESE EMOTIONS. I WAS JUST TIRED AND IT’S SO, IT’S LONELY HAVING THIS DISORDER. IT’S JUST INCREDIBLY LONELY. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> Narrator: SINCE HER TEENS, RACHAEL HAS BEEN BATTLING WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER, AN EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR OR PROBLEM THAT CAN BE SO DIFFICULT TO LIVE WITH LIFE CAN SEEM LIKE IT SIMPLY ISN’T WORTH LIVING. WHILE RACHAEL’S PLANS TO BE DEAD BY THIRTY DIDN’T COME OFF, FOR ANOTHER WOMAN THE PAIN OF LIVING WITH THE SAME CONDITION PROVED TOO MUCH. ON A COLD, MID-WINTER NIGHT, JULY 2003, 53 YEAR OLD MARIA DE SILVA TOOK HER LIFE IN A DRAMATIC AND SHOCKING WAY IN AOTEA SQUARE.

>> (DISPATCHER): WAITING FOR A REPORT TO COME OF A PERSON ON FIRE.

>> Narrator: EMERGENCY SERVICES RACED TO SAVE THE WOMAN WHO SET FIRE TO HERSELF, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. THIS IS THE STORY OF TWO WOMEN’S STRUGGLE WITH A TERRIBLE CHOICE. MARIA DE SILVA WAS A GIFTED OPERA SINGER, FORMER ATHLETE, AND TIRELESS CAMPAIGNER FOR GOOD CAUSES. ONE OF THOSE CAMPAIGNS WAS TO HIGHLIGHT THE SUFFERING OF THOSE WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER, THE CONDITION THAT LED HER TO TAKE HER OWN LIFE. THAT’S HOW RACHAEL KAVANAGH FIRST CAME TO HEAR OF HER.

>> I WAS READING A WOMAN’S WEEKLY AND SAW IN THE HIDDEN BORD-LINE, AND THAT WAS SHORTLY AFTER I THINK I’D BEEN DIAGNOSED, AND IT WAS REALLY QUITE LOVELY TO SEE SOMEBODY TALKING OPENLY ABOUT THE DISORDER BECAUSE UP UNTIL THEN I’D REALLY SAID NOTHING ABOUT IT. SO I CONTACTED HER, AND SHE WAS PRETTY MUCH RIGHT FROM THE START A WEALTH OF INFORMATION, BUT SHE MADE ME FEEL QUITE NORMAL FOR A TIME BEING.

>> Narrator: SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES OF THE ILLNESS BROUGHT RACHAEL AND MARIA TOGETHER. THROUGH MARIA, RACHAEL BECAME AWARE OF JUST HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAD THE DISORDER. IT’S ESTIMATED THAT AROUND THIRTY THOUSAND PEOPLE IN NEW ZEALAND HAVE BORDERLINE PERSONALITIES.

>> HELLO, DAVID SPEAKING. OK, OK, SLOW IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE FEELING REALLY UPSET AT THE MOMENT. TELL ME WHAT’S HAPPENED. OK, OK.

>> Narrator: DAVID SEMP IS A PSYCHOLOGIST AT SAINT LUKES MENTAL HEALTH CENTER IN AUCKLAND. HE SPECIALIZES IN TREATING PEOPLE WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS.

>> THE KEY THING WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER IS A PROBLEM WITH EMOTIONS, WITH EXTREME EMOTIONS, AND MUCH MORE EXTREME THAN THE AVERAGE PERSON AND WITHIN ANY GIVEN DAY SOMEONE WITH THIS DISORDER CAN GO FROM FEELING OK TO SUDDENLY SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN AND THEY’LL FEEL TERRIBLE, THEY’LL FELL REALLY ANGRY, OR THEY’LL FEEL REALLY ABANDONED, OR THEY’LL FEEL REALLY SAD OR LONELY OR HOPELESS, ANY NUMBER OF THINGS. AND IT CAN BE TRIGGERED BY MANY, MANY DIFFERENT AREAS OF THEIR LIVES. BECAUSE THEY RESPOND SO STRONGLY TO IT, THAT OFTEN MAKES WHATEVER HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE MUCH WORSE. SO IF IT WAS IN THE CONTEXT OF A RELATIONSHIP, IS THAT GOING TO FEEL LIKE THEY’RE ABOUT TO BE ABANDONED, OR THAT SOMEBODY HATES THEM, WHEN IT FACT THEY’RE JUST A LITTLE BIT ANNOYED WITH THEM.

>> I SABOTAGED RELATIONSHIPS, FRIENDSHIPS. I WOULD FIND BOUNDARIES WITHIN RELATIONSHIPS, TO SAY THAT WERE UNBEARABLY PAINFUL, OF COURSE WE GET KIND OF SICK OF THAT AND END UP GOING AWAY FROM YOU, WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU WANT.

>> Narrator: RACHAEL HAS BEEN WITH SY FOR OVER TWO YEARS NOW. AS IT IS FOR OTHERS IN THIS POSITION, COPING WITH THE DISORDER HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR THEM BOTH.

>> WE’LL HAVE AN ARGUMENT AND I WOULD JUST COMPLETELY GO OFF THE DEEP END, AND HE’LL BE THINKING, WELL, HELL, I JUST CHANGED THE CHANNEL AT THE WRONG TIME, YOU KNOW, WHERE AS I’M THINKING HE DOESN’T CARE WHAT I’M LOOKING AT AND JUST GO THROUGH ALL THOSE, DEALING WITH IT. YOU’VE GOT TO BE SO AWARE, AWARE YOUR EMOTIONS ARE SOMERSAULTING TOO.

>> IT’S VERY DISTRESSING TO LIVE LIKE THIS, AND SO TO DEAL WITH THE DISTRESS OF THESE EXTREMES OF EMOTION PEOPLE WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER OFTER SELF HARM AS A WAY OF COPING WITH THAT, SO THEY MIGHT BURN OR THEY MIGHT CUT.

>> Narrator: RACHAEL HAS BEEN CUTTING HERSELF FOR FIFTEEN YEARS. NOW SHE HAS OVER TWO HUNDRED SCARS ON HER BODY.

>> WHEN I WOULD CUT AND THEN BLEED, THE BLEEDING WAS ALMOST LIKE A FORM OF CRYING. IT WAS PROVING TO ME THAT I WAS STUPID, I WAS UGLY, I WAS ALL THOSE THINGS AND THE MARKS WERE THERE TO KIND OF PROVE THAT POINT, AND SO IT WAS KIND OF REFLECTING WHAT I FELT ON THE INSIDE AND PUTTING IT ON THE OUTSIDE.

>> Narrator: WHILE CUTTING WAS RACHAEL’S WAY OF COPING, MARIA DE SILVA CHOSE ANOTHER WAY. LIKE MANY OTHERS WITH THIS DISORDER SHE CHOSE SUICIDE AS A WAY OF EXPRESSING HOW SHE FELT.

>> IT WOULD JUST POP UP IN ORDINARY CONVERSATION. YOU’D BE TALKING AWAY AND SHE WOULD SAY “I TOOK A HUNDRED IMOVANE YESTERDAY, I’M DOING PRETTY WELL”, OR TWENTY IMOVANE OR SHE JUST, IT WAS A PART OF LIFE FOR HER.

>> Narrator: RACHAEL ALSO THINKS MARIA USED SUICIDE AS A WAY OF GETTING ATTENTION NOT JUST FOR HERSELF, BUT ALSO FOR THE DISORDER.

>> MARIA DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT AN AIM, WITHOUT A PURPOSE. SHE USED HER DEATH, SHE GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION. SHE GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION FOR THE DISORDER AND I’M QUITE SURE SHE DID THAT PURPOSELY, QUITE SURE.

>> Narrator: A REPORT ON BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER BY THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION IN 1999 SHOWS THREE TIMES AS MANY WOMEN ARE DIAGNOSED WITH THE DISORDER AS MEN. IT USUALLY EMERGES IN ADOLESCENCE OR EARLY ADULTHOOD.

>> I WAS FOURTEEN WHEN I FIRST FIGURED THAT THERE WAS JUST A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY REACTIONS AND MY FRIENDS REACTIONS. YEAH, SOMETHING JUST DIDN’T FIT, I WAS TOO EMOTIONAL AND I DIDN’T SEEM TO HAVE AS MUCH CONTROL. I FELT TOO MUCH. I WAS PROBABLY WHAT THEY WOULD CALL A REALLY SENSITIVE ADOLESCENT.

>> Narrator: IT WAS AROUND THIS TIME SHE FIRST STARTED TO HARM HERSELF.

>> FIRST TIME I CUT WAS WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN, AND IT WAS MY FACE, AND AFTER IT I CAN REMEMBER THINKING GOD, THAT WAS STUPID, BUT ALSO RELIEF, A CERTAIN RELIEF THAT I HAD NEVER FELT. OF COURSE AS TIME PROGRESSED I HAD A BAD HABIT, AND IT BECAME VERY MUCH A COPING MECHANISM, NOT A GOOD ONE, BUT IT WAS A COPING MECHANISM.

>> Narrator: BY HER TWENTIES, RACHAEL WAS CAUGHT UP IN A CYCLE OF RITUAL SELF HARM AND ALCOHOL ABUSE. HER LIFE WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND SHE WAS HEADING FOR TROUBLE. BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER EMERGES IN ADOLESCENCE AND EARLY ADULTHOOD. BY HER TWENTIES RACHAEL KAVANAGH WAS SHOWING CLEAR SIGNS OF THE DISORDER.

>> MY EARLY, EARLY TWENTIES I GUESS MY BEHAVIOR STARTED COMING OUT, UNREASONABLE ARGUMENTS TOO. THERE WASN’T A TIME REALLY WHEN I WASN’T DRINKING. SELF IMAGE WAS JUST IN THE TOILET BY THAT STAGE. IF I SAT IN FRONT OF THE TV AND I CAUGHT THE REFLECTION OF MYSELF IN THE TV I WOULD MOVE. YEAH, JUST UTTER SELF HATE. I LEFT A BAD TASTE IN MY OWN MOUTH.

>> Narrator: DESPITE HER CONFUSED MENTAL STATE RACHAEL WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF A CONFIDENT FACADE. SO MUCH SO, AT THE AGE OF TWENTY FIVE SHE GOT A JOB AS A CASE WORKER AT WORKINGIN COM NEW ZEALAND.

>> IT’S FUNNY BECAUSE WITH THE DISORDER YOU CAN OFTEN SEPARATE SELF FROM JOB, AND BE INVOLVED IN QUITE STRESSFUL POSITIONS AND HOLD THEM DOWN QUITE NICELY, BUT THEN OF COURSE GO HOME AND FALL TO BITS.

>> Narrator: BY HER LATE TWENTIES RACHAEL WAS FINDING IT INCREASINGLY HARD TO COPE WITH HER ILLNESS. IN 2001 SHE DECIDED SUICIDE WAS THE ONLY WAY OUT.

>> I TOOK TIME OFF WORK. I DISCONNECTED MY PHONE, PUT DOG FOOD OUTSIDE SO MY DOG WOULD BE OK. I BOUGHT ALCOHOL. I HAD STORED MEDICATION, DOWNED THEM AND WENT TO BED.

>> Narrator: SHE WAS DISCOVERED BY A NEIGHBOR AND TAKEN TO HOSPITAL. WHEN SHE CAME TO SHE FELT FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY.

>> DAMN. I’M NOT EVEN GOOD AT THIS. I’M NOT EVEN GOOD AT KILLING MYSELF. YOU’RE BE KIDDING ME, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT PLANNING AND I’M STILL HERE, I’M STILL ALIVE. I THINK I FELT GUILTY FOR BEING ALIVE.

>> Narrator: LIKE RACHAEL, MARIA DE SILVA WAS ALSO ABLE TO PROJECT AN OUTWARDLY SUCCESSFUL PERSONA. AFTER TRAINING IN LONDON SHE TOURED EUROPE AS AN OPERA SINGER. ?

>> Narrator: THEN, WHILE STUDYING OPERA IN ITALY, SHE BECAME INVOLVED IN LAUNCHING AN AID PROGRAM TO HELP BOSNIAN REFUGEES. IT WAS A HUGE PROJECT THAT DEMANDED ALL HER COMMITMENT. IN 1995 SHE EVEN APPEARED ON TELEVISION APPEALING FOR NEW ZEALANDERS TO HELP OUT IN ANY WAY THEY COULD.

>> I’M SURE THE SUPPORT IS THERE, I’M SURE THAT A LOT OF NEW ZEALANDERS WOULD LIKE TO DO SOMETHING AND REALLY ARE SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS AND WONDERING WHAT THEY CAN DO.

>> Narrator: BUT THE BOSNIAN MISSION PROVED TOO MUCH. SHE COULDN’T HOLD IT TOGETHER ANY LONGER. PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY EXHAUSTED, SHE RETURNED TO NEW ZEALAND. IT WAS THEN THAT SHE STARTED TO REALIZE SHE WAS SUFFERING FROM MORE THAN JUST DEPRESSION.

>> MY HEART ACHES, MY SOUL BURNS. I CRAVE RELEASE. THE PAIN AT TIMES IS SO UNBEARABLE. WHEN I’M ALONE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS CONSUME ME.

>> Narrator: EVENTUALLY, JUST AS IT HAD BEEN FOR RACHAEL, SUICIDE SEEMED THE ONLY WAY TO PUT AN END TO THE CONSTANT MENTAL ANGUISH SHE WAS IN. IN 1998 MARIA MADE HER FIRST SUICIDE ATTEMPT.

>> I REMEMBER IT QUITE CLEARLY BECAUSE I WAS WATCHING TV WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I JUST COULDN’T STAND THE PAIN ANYMORE. SO I GOT A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY I’D PUT AWAY AND GATHERED A BOTTLE OF SLEEPING TABLETS. DAD FOUND ME SIX HOURS LATER.

>> Narrator: LIKE MARIA, RACHAEL WAS ALSO STRUGGLING TO COPE. IN BETWEEN BOUTS OF SELF HARM SHE WAS STILL CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE. FRIEND AND WORK COLLEAGUE NETA LEILUA REMEMBERS WHAT A TRAUMATIC TIME IT WAS.

>> I GUESS I COULD ALWAYS GUARANTEE EVERY TIME RACHAEL WOULD FIND HERSELF IN A HOLE SHE’D END UP SLITTING HER WRISTS OR DOING SOMETHING. SHE HAD SO MANY TIMES, I’VE LOST COUNT OF HOW MANY TIMES.

>> SOMETHING BAD WOULD GENERALLY HAVE TO HAVE HAPPENED FOR ME TO CUT. WHEN I SAY BIG, A BIG FALLING OUT IN A RELATIONSHIP, OR ANYTHING THAT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL TRAPPED OR AFRAID.

>> Narrator: BY THIS TIME, RACHAEL WAS ON MEDICATION FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. EACH TIME SHE WAS IN A CRISIS SHE CALLED NETA.

>> I DON’T KNOW IF THIS WILL MAKE SENSE BUT AFTER A WHILE YOU JUST SWITCH OFF. I GUESS IN THE BEGINNING IT WAS VERY EMOTIONAL, AND USUALLY THE EMOTION TURNED INTO ANGER, AND I STARTED TO GET ANGRY.

>> Narrator: THEN, IN NOVEMBER 2001, RACHAEL CUT HERSELF SO BADLY NETA DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AND COMMIT RACHAEL AS A PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT.

>> I WAS VERY NUMB ABOUT IT ALL, SO TO ACTUALLY SIGN THE PAPERS I SORT OF DIDN’T HAVE ANY FEELINGS, I JUST WANTED TO DO IT. BUT THE HARDEST PART FOR ME WAS JUST WAITING AROUND FOR THEM TO TURN UP. SO RACHAEL WAS RESTING IN THE ROOM AND WE WERE WATCHING TV AND THAT’S ALL SHE THOUGHT WAS HAPPENING. SHE WAS REALLY SHOCKED WHEN THEY DID TURN UP BECAUSE THEY JUST SORT OF BARGED IN THE HOUSE, WENT AND GOT HER AND SORT OF GRABBED HER AND WE’RE TAKING YOU TO HOSPITAL INSTEAD OF THAT SORT OF STUFF. SO I FELT LIKE I HAD BETRAYED HER, AND THAT IF ANYTHING WAS PROBABLY THE HARDEST FOR ME. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> Narrator: TODAY, NETA AND RACHAEL HAVE COME BACK TO HOSPITAL TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

>> I THINK THE WORST TIME FOR ME WAS ACTUALLY SEEING THEM TAKE YOU AWAY KNOWING THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF ME, THAT I HAD RUNG THEM.

>> I’M GLAD YOU DID IT.

>> ARE YOU?

>> YUP. YEAH, I AM, ABSOLUTELY. I OFTEN WONDER WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU DIDN’T ACTUALLY HAVE THE GUTS TO COMMIT ME. WHAT DO YOU RECKON?

>> YOU WOULDN’T BE HERE.

>> THAT’S PRETTY CLEAR, EH?

>> Narrator: THERE ARE MANY CAUSES OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER, ONE OF WHICH IS SEXUAL ABUSE. BOTH MARIA AND RACHAEL CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED AS CHILDREN.

>> I WAS ABUSED BY A WELL-KNOWN ENTITY. HE WAS STEREOTYPICAL OF A CHILD ABUSER IN THAT PEOPLE TRUSTED HIM AND THEY TRUSTED THEIR KIDS WITH HIM, AND HE REALLY FOOLED PEOPLE INTO THINKING HE WAS JUST A REALLY NICE GUY. BUT A BUNCH OF US KIDS KNEW QUITE DIFFERENTLY, IT WASN’T JUST ME. I REMEMBER IT WAS BAD, I REMEMBER IT. I HAD NO POWER. ANYONE THAT’S BEEN ABUSED WOULD PROBABLY TELL YOU THE SAME THING, IT’S JUST, IT’S SO OVERWHELMING. YOU DON’T WANT TO BREATHE, YOU DON’T WANT TO MOVE. YOU JUST WANT IT ALL TO GO AWAY, WANT THAT PERSON TO GO AWAY.

>> Narrator: AS MANY AS SEVENTY PERCENT OF PEOPLE WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED AS CHILDREN. FOR MARIA DE SILVA IT HAD A DEEP AND LASTING EFFECT, DISRUPTING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEN AND CAUSING INTERNAL TURMOIL. ?

>> Narrator: SEVENTY PERCENT OF WOMEN WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED AS CHILDREN. MARIA DE SILVA CLAIMED SHE WAS ABUSED WHEN SHE WAS SEVEN BY AN OLDER SCHOOL BOY. IN DIARIES FOUND AFTER HER DEATH SHE WRITES:

>> I REALIZED HE MUST HAVE WATCHED ME BEFORE HE SET HIS TRAP. OH GOD, HE HAS GOOD AS EXTINGUISHED THE INNOCENT FRESH CHILD IN ME. HE CRUSHED THE BLOSSOMING BRIGHT FUTURE. I FEEL SO GUILTY, SO ASHAMED. IT WAS MY FAULT. IT HAD TO BE MY FAULT. I WENT WITH HIM, I DIDN’T REFUSE.

>> WHEN PEOPLE ARE ABUSED AS CHILDREN OFTEN WHAT HAPPENS IS THE ABUSER IS TELLING THE CHILD THINGS ABOUT THE CHILD’S EXPERIENCE THAT JUST AREN’T TRUE. FOR INSTANCE, THE ABUSER WILL BE TELLING THE CHILD THIS IS OK, YOU’RE ENJOYING THIS, THIS ISN’T A PROBLEM AND THIS IS FINE. ALL THINGS THAT ARE NOT TRUE. SO WHAT THE CHILD IS LEARNING THERE IS TO NOT RELY ON THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE, TO NOT TRUST THEIR EMOTIONS AND SO THEY END UP VERY VERY CONFUSED ABOUT THEIR OWN EMOTIONAL STATE AND THEIR OWN FEELINGS AND THEIR OWN THOUGHTS. AND THAT CONFUSION AND UNCERTAINTY AROUND EMOTIONS IS ONE OF THE KEY PROBLEMS IN BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> Narrator: TO THIS DAY RACHAEL KAVANAGH STILL HAS VIVID NIGHTMARES OF BEING SEXUALLY ABUSED AS A CHILD. IT’S SO BAD SHE TAKES SLEEPING PILLS EVERY NIGHT.

>> I HAVE POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER FROM ABUSE, AND WITH THAT COMES INABILITY TO SLEEP, OR GO TO SLEEP AND NOT STAY ASLEEP, AND THEN ONCE YOU ARE ASLEEP THE NIGHTMARES, THAT WOULD FOLLOW.

>> Narrator: IT’S NOT JUST SEXUAL ABUSE THAT LEADS TO BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER. THE PERSONS TEMPERAMENT AND THEIR FAMILY ENVIRONMENT ARE ALSO IMPORTANT.

>> AS BEST AS WE CAN TELL THERE ARE TWO MAIN CAUSES OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER. THE FIRST ONE IS THE PERSON NEEDS TO HAVE A SENSITIVE TEMPERAMENT. THAT ON IT’S OWN IS NOT A BAD THING. IT JUST MEANS THAT THEY HAVE A CAPACITY FOR A WIDE RANGE OF EMOTIONS WHICH CAN LEAD TO A VERY KIND OF INTERESTING AND OFTEN CREATIVE LIFE. ON IT’S OWN IT’S NOT A PROBLEM, HOWEVER IF THAT’S COUPLED WITH AND ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE PERSON DOESN’T LEARN HOW TO APPRECIATE AND ADEQUATELY CONTROL THEIR EMOTIONS THEN THAT’S A REAL PROBLEM. A FAMILY ENVIRONMENT SAY WHERE THERE’S A LOT OF CONFLICT AND LOTS AND LOTS OF ARGUMENTS, WHICH IS OFTEN VERY DISTRESSING FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. SO A YOUNG CHILD IN THAT SITUATION MIGHT SAY TO THE PARENTS I’M FEELING BAD OR I’M UPSET. NOW, IF THE PARENTS RESPONSE IS TO TELL THE CHILD THAT EVERYTHING’S FINE AND THERE’S NOTHING TO BE UPSET ABOUT, WHAT THE PARENTS ARE TELLING THE CHILDREN IS APPARENTLY WRONG AND IT’S A VERY VERY CONFUSING THING FOR THE CHILD TO LEARN SO THEY DON’T LEARN TO VALUE THEIR OWN EMOTIONAL RESPONSES AND TO LEARN FROM THEM AND TO CONTROL THEM.

>> Narrator: AS WELL AS BEING SEXUALLY ABUSED, RACHAEL FEELS THERE WERE ALSO PROBLEMS AT HOME THAT CONTRIBUTED TO HER DISORDER. TODAY SHE’S GOING TO VISIT HER MOM, JOY. TOGETHER THEY’RE STILL TRYING TO WORK OUT WHAT WENT WRONG IN HER CHILDHOOD. RACHAEL IS THE YOUNGEST OF FOUR DAUGHTERS. HER FATHER LEFT WHEN SHE WAS A BABY SO JOY BROUGHT RACHAEL UP ON HER OWN.

>> RACHAEL HAD THIS FEAR OF BEING ABANDONED. YOU HAD TO THINK HOW YOU WERE GOING TO WORD A SENTENCE IN CASE SHE FELT REJECTED. ANY SIGN OF BEING PUSHED AWAY AT ALL WOULD START ON A, START HER DOWN A TRACK ACTUALLY OF, WELL YOU WOULD SAY MISBEHAVING, PLAYING UP, MANIPULATING. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> THE REASON FOR THE MANIPULATION, THE REASON FOR THE CUNNING, IT WASN’T JUST BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT. IT WAS OUT OF FEAR, IT WAS SPAWNED OUT OF FEAR. MOM WAS REALLY ALL I HAD AND THE FEAR OF LOSING HER WAS JUST, IT WAS HUGE.

>> Narrator: AS TIME WENT ON RACHAEL BECAME MORE AND MORE INSECURE.

>> I THINK AT THE TIME I WAS AMIST A LOT OF CONFUSION, THERE WASN’T REALLY ANYWHERE THAT I FELT SAFE TO GO, AND AT THAT POINT THAT COULD HAVE JUST BEEN ME AS I KNEW IT, OR AS A CHILD OR WHATEVER JUST GAVE UP TO A DISORDER, AND I BECAME VERY DISSOCIATIVE, DEPRESSIVE, VERY MOODY PRETTY MUCH FROM THERE.

>> I WAS NOT A PERFECT MOTHER, WHO IS? I MEAN YOU’RE NOT BORN A MOTHER, YOU LEARN AS YOU GO ALONG, AND THERE WERE MISTAKES. BUT I REALLY CANNOT SEE, OR COULDN’T SEE, THAT WHERE ANYTHING I HAD DONE COULD CAUSE SUCH A TRAUMATIC SICKNESS.

>> Narrator: WHILE FOR RACHAEL CHILDHOOD INSTABILITY SEEMS TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO HER DISORDER, FOR MARIA DE SILVA IT WAS A DIFFERENT SET OF PARENTAL CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LED TO HER ILLNESS. LIKE RACHAEL, SHE WAS THE YOUNGEST OF FOUR CHILDREN. HER BROTHER DENNY REMEMBERS THE JOY OF HIS ONLY SISTER BEING BORN.

>> WELL, WE WERE THREE HAPPY BROTHERS GROWING UP IN A LOVELY AREA. IT WAS A TYPICAL RURAL SITUATION OF NEW ZEALAND. SHE WAS IN A LOVELY FAMILY ENVIRONMENT, AND CARING AND LOVING PARENTS, AND CERTAINLY HAD THREE DOTING BROTHERS. SHE DIDN’T WANT FOR ANYTHING.

>> Narrator: IN FACT, SHE WAS CHERISHED AND SPOILED.

>> WELL BECAUSE OF MY PARENTS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE SHE DID TEND TO GET HER OWN WAY OVER MOST THINGS. THERE WERE TIMES WHEN SHE HAD MORE FREEDOM AND GOT AWAY WITH MORE THAN PERHAPS WE DID AS BROTHERS AND I DARE SAY THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY THAT DOESN’T HELP. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> Narrator: WHAT MARIA’S PARENTS DIDN’T REALIZE WAS THAT BY SPOILING THEIR DAUGHTER THEY WERE LAYING THE SEEDS OF WHAT WOULD LATER ON BECOME A PSYCHOLOGICAL ILLNESS.

>> WHERE IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR SPOILING TO CONTRIBUTE TO BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER IS, LET’S SAY FOR AN EXAMPLE, EVERY SINGLE TIME A CHILD HAD A STRONG EMOTIONAL RESPONSE, AND LETS’ SAY INITIALLY THE PARENTS SAYS NO, AND SO THE CHILD INCREASES THEIR EMOTIONAL RESPONSE, HAS A STRONGER AND STRONGER EMOTION UNTIL THE PARENT GIVES IN. SO WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING THERE IS THE CHILD IS BEING TAUGHT TO GET WHAT YOU WANT YOU HAVE TO HAVE STRONGER AND STRONGER AND STRONGER EMOTIONS. IF THAT HAPPENS AS A PATTERN OVER A CHILD’S LIFE THEY LEARN THAT THE ONLY WAY TO GET WHAT THEY WANT IS TO HAVE REALLY REALLY STRONG EMOTIONS. SOMETIMES PEOPLE CAN BEAR THAT WITH CHILDREN BUT WHEN ADULTS START TO BEHAVE LIKE THAT IT’S A REAL PROBLEM. HI JANEY, DO YOU HAVE YOUR DIARY CARD WITH YOU TODAY?

>> YEP, YOU MIGHT LIKE IT.

>> Narrator: PSYCHOLOGISTS LIKE DAVID SEMP BELIEVE THE ONLY WAY TO UNDO THESE UNDESIRABLE PATTERNS SET IN CHILDHOOD IS TO TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THEIR EMOTIONS. HE DOES THIS THROUGH DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY, WHICH ORIGINATED IN AMERICA.

>> A TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE WOULD DO IN A THERAPY SESSION IS A CLIENT WOULD COME IN, THEY WOULD HAVE A RECORD WHICH THEY KEEP OF THEIR EMOTIONS DURING THE WEEK AND OF ANY TIMES DURING THE WEEK WHERE THEY SELF-HARMED OR USED DRUGS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AND LET’S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, SOMEONE HAD SELF-HARMED ONCE DURING THE WEEK, WE NEED TO LOOK AT HOW THAT HAPPENED, WHAT WERE YOU FEELING? WHAT LED UP TO THAT SELF-HARM? WHAT COULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?

>> Narrator: RACHAEL KAVANAGH IS ABOUT TO TRY DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY. SHE’S KEEN TO WORK ON HER FEARS OF ABANDONMENT AND FIND OUT WHY IT IS SHE’S SO JEALOUS EVERY TIME PARTNER SY LOOKS AT ANOTHER WOMAN. ?

>> Narrator: AFTER YEARS OF SELF-HARM AND TWO SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, RACHAEL IS GOING TO HER FIRST DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY SESSION WITH PRIVATE PSYCHOLOGIST SUE HARDING.

>> HI RACHAEL, NICE TO SEE YOU.

>> Narrator: TODAY, THEY’RE LOOKING AT WHY RACHAEL FEELS SO JEALOUS OF HER PARTNER SY EVEN GLANCES AT ANOTHER WOMAN. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> A GOOD EXAMPLE WOULD PROBABLY BE WE WERE IN COWTON AND A WOMAN WALKED TOWARDS HIM AND I WAS JUST IN FRONT OF HIM, AND I LOOKED AROUND AND I COULD SEE HIM LOOKING AT HER, AND IT WAS JUST FROM ZERO TO, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED MY EMOTIONS JUST CAME, YOU KNOW, UP. I FELT MYSELF STARTING TO DISSOCIATE AND RAGE AT THE SAME TIME.

>> SO YOU TURN AROUND AND YOU SAW THE WOMAN, AND WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND THEN?

>> DOES HE KNOW HER? ARE THEY SEEING EACH OTHER? HE DOESN’T LOVE ME. HE’S GOING TO LEAVE ME.

>> AND DID YOU DO ANYTHING AT THAT POINT?

>> I LOOKED AT HIM AND GAVE HIM AN AWFUL LOOK.

>> AND WHAT WAS THE FEELING THAT WENT WITH THAT?

>> ANGER WENT WITH THAT ONE.

>> Narrator: SUE HELPS RACHAEL TO UNDERSTAND HER EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION, AND TOGETHER THEY EXPLORE NEW WAYS IN WHICH RACHAEL CAN DEAL WITH HER EMOTIONS. IT WILL TAKE TIME TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS.

>> WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT? WHAT’S SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE HELPED YOU AT EACH POINT ALONG THE WAY?

>> FROM A PHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE I THINK THAT I COULD HAVE DONE, BECAUSE AS SOON AS I SAW THE TWO PEOPLE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER, YOU KNOW, I STOPPED BREATHING. AND MY WHOLE BODY TENSED, AND THE BREATHING KIND OF WENT FROM STOPPING TO JUST VERY, VERY SHALLOW.

>> RIGHT.

>> SO I THINK THAT I COULD HAVE DONE MYSELF A FAVOR THERE IN BEING MINDFUL OF HOW MUCH BREATH I WAS TAKING IN IN ORDER TO HELP MYSELF SETTLE DOWN. I THINK THAT MODEL OF THERAPY, IT GIVES YOU LONG TERM STRATEGIES. I THINK, I JUST, IT’S SO MUCH MORE HELPFUL THAN JUST MASKING THE BEHAVIORS WITH, WITH COMMUNICATIONS.

>> Narrator: ALTHOUGH DBT, OR DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY IS A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR RACHAEL, FOR MARIA DE SILVA IT SIMPLY DIDN’T MAKE SENSE. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> DBT IS A HEAP OF SHIT. ANY THERAPY THAT REQUIRES THAT MUCH EXPLANATION AND LEAVES THE POOR PERSON SUBJECTED TO IT IN TOTAL CONFUSION HAS TO BE SUSPECT. I DON’T NECESSARILY WANT A LABEL ATTACHED TO ME, I JUST WANT SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON WITH ME.

>> BREATH IN TOO, PUSH YOUR TUM UP, PUSH YOUR TUM UP.

>> Narrator: TAKING ON SUE HARDING’S ADVISE, RACHAEL HAS DECIDED SHE NEEDS TO LEARN NEW SKILLS TO DEAL WITH HER EMOTIONS, ONE OF WHICH IS TO LEARN TO BREATH PROPERLY SO SHE CAN CALM HERSELF IN MOMENTS OF PANIC. SHE’S COME TO SEE TANYA CLIFTON SMITH AT BREATHING WORKS. HERE, TANYA IS TEACHING RACHAEL HOW TO BREATH CORRECTLY. BUT WHILE LYING ON THE BED RACHAEL HAS A PANIC ATTACK ABOUT HER CHIN BEING FILMED FROM AN UNFLATTERING POSITION.

>> OH GOD, I DON’T LIKE THE CAMERA AT THAT ANGLE.

>> ARE YOU OK?

>> BECAUSE OF MY SELF IMAGE I HAD A VISION, IF YOU LIKE, OF HOW I MUST LOOK RIGHT NOW AND ALL I COULD SEE WAS THIS DOUBLE CHIN ALMOST COVERING UP TO MY NOSE, AND I JUST KEEP SEEING IT AND THE PANIC AND THE BREATHING STOP FIRST, AND THE PANIC CEDED AND THE EYES WELL UP.

>> ARE YOU ALRIGHT? OH, I KNOW, I KNOW. LET IT GO, JUST LET IT GO. THAT IS COMMON. HOW DO YOU FEEL?

>> BETTER. PANIC ATTACKS WITH ME HAPPEN VERY VERY QUICKLY.

>> Narrator: MARIA DE SILVA WAS ALSO SUFFERING FROM PANIC ATTACKS AND ANXIETY AFTER HER MOTHER DIED. IN SEPTEMBER 2000 SHE MADE THIS ENTRY IN HER DIARY.

>> I WENT TO VISIT MOM THIS AFTERNOON. I WANT SO BADLY TO BE WITH HER. I MISS HER TERRIBLY. I HAD A STRONG COMPULSION TO CRAWL INSIDE THE GRAVE TO BE WITH HER. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> Narrator: THEN, ANOTHER BLOW. SHE WAS DEVASTATED TO READ A REPORT OF HER CONDUCT AT FRIENDSHIP HOUSE, A PLACE SHE WORKED AS A VOLUNTEER AS PART OF A MENTAL HEALTH CERTIFICATE SHE WAS TAKING.

>> MARIA IS CLEARLY UNABLE TO MAINTAIN HER PERSONAL BOUNDARIES. SHE DEMONSTRATES POOR IMPULSE CONTROL AND ANGER MANAGEMENT. HER TIME MANAGEMENT AND ABILITY TO PRIORITIZE ARE ALSO UNSATISFACTORY.

>> Narrator: AT HOME, RACHAEL IS WAITING FOR THE RESULTS OF HER BUSINESS COMMUNICATION PAPER, PART OF A FOUR YEAR PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE SHE’S DOING BY CORRESPONDENCE.

>> I FEEL AS THOUGH I FAILED IT MISERABLY, SO I’M JUST HAVING A LOOK TO SEE IF IN FACT I DID. OH, HOLD ON, HERE WE GO. WELL, IT WASN’T TOO BAD. I THOUGH I WOULD GET A ROUND ABOUT FORTY PERCENT IF I WAS LUCKY, BUT I’VE GOT SIXTY OUT OF A HUNDRED, SO IT WASN’T TOO BIG A FAILURE.

>> Narrator: RACHAEL’S LOW SELF-ESTEEM IS ALSO APPARENT IN THE WAY SHE PERCEIVES HERSELF PHYSICALLY. SHE HATES HER CHIN AND WANTS TO HAVE IT SURGICALLY ALTERED. TODAY SHE’S PREPARING TO SEE PLASTIC SURGEON TRISTAN DE CHALAIN.

>> I’M GOING TO GO GET A QUOTE FROM HIM TO SEE HOW MUCH IT’S GOING TO COST TO GET LIPOSUCTION IN MY CHIN. I’D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE A JAW LINE FOR A START. IT’S JUST SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN, SOMETHING I’VE JUST REALLY HATED ABOUT MY FACE, AND JUST THE LONGEST TIME.

>> RACHAEL KAVANAGH. HI RACHAEL. TRISTAN DE CHALAIN, I’M VERY PLEASED TO MEET YOU. COME THROUGH WITH ME. SORRY WE’RE STILL DECORATING. IT’S BEEN THREE WEEKS SINCE THEY BUILT IT BUT THEY HAVEN’T FINISHED. OK, LET’S SEE WHAT WE HAVE. WHAT I’D LIKE YOU TO DO IS TAKE THAT MIRROR, PICK IT UP, AND YOU SHOW ME WHERE THE AREA OF CONCERN IS.

>> ALRIGHT, IF I’M LIKE THAT, IT’S THAT PART THERE THAT HANGS DOWN. FROM THE SIDE, IT’S FROM THERE DOWN, THIS HANGING PART HERE. WHEN I GO LIKE THAT I LIKE IT CONSIDERABLY BETTER THEN IT JUST SORT OF HANGING. IT’S JUST SORT OF, I’VE PROBABLY GOT A NICE JAW LINE UNDER THERE SOMEWHERE.

>> SURE. SO WHAT I NEED TO DO IS MAKE A LITTLE INCISION JUST UNDER THERE, GET ONTO THE MUSCLE, AND YOU TIGHTEN THE MUSCLE ACROSS THE MIDDLE LINE, TAKE OUT SOME OF THE FAT BOTH ABOVE AND BELOW THE MUSCLE, AND THEN TAKE SOME OF THIS SKIN UP THIS WAY. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> IT SOUNDS WONDERFUL.

>> I COULD PROBABLY SHOW YOU A PICTURE OF SOMEBODY WHO’S HAD SOMETHING SIMILAR.

>> WOW!

>> SO THAT’S A NECK LIFT ONLY. THAT’S THE SORT OF THING THAT I WOULD SUGGEST FOR YOU. OK, COME ON. I’LL TAKE YOU THROUGH TO MEET WENDY, AND WE’LL MAKE A DAY TO SEE YOU AGAIN SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO PROCEED.

>> OH I THINK I WILL BE.

>> OK, GOOD.

>> AWESOME! THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> IT WAS NICE MEETING YOU.

>> OK, YOU TOO.

>> HI RACHAEL. IF YOU’D LIKE TO FILL THAT OUT FOR ME.

>> Narrator: BACK IN RECEPTION, RACHAEL’S WAITING TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH IT WILL COST. IT’S A TENSE MOMENT. SHE’S DESPERATE TO GO AHEAD WITH IT, BUT IT’S ALL DOWN TO COST. IF IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE SHE’LL BE BITTERLY DISAPPOINTED. RACHAEL KAVANAGH HAS JUST BEEN FOR A CONSULTATION WITH PLASTIC SURGEON TRISTAN DE CHALAIN. SHE WANTS TO SURGICALLY ALTER HER NECK AND CHIN. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS CAN SHE AFFORD IT?

>> THE ENTIRE COST FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAW ME IS SIXTEEN THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. THERE IS JUST ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I CAN AFFORD SIXTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ON MY FACE. IT’S A HUGE BLOW. IT IS JUST, THAT’S A HUGE BLOW. I WAS JUST SO LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, BUT THESE, I GUESS I’VE JUST GOT TO STICK WITH THE SAME FACE.

>> Narrator: RACHAEL’S DISAPPOINTMENT IS GOING TO BE HARD TO COME TO TERMS WITH. MARIA DE SILVA WAS ALSO ABOUT TO FACE A MAJOR SETBACK THAT WAS TO PROVE A TURNING POINT IN HER LIFE. IN 2001, SHE SET UP A TRUST TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT PEOPLE WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER. CHRISTINE WHITTLE, AFTER WHOM SHE NAMED THE TRUST, HAD BPD AND HAD KILLED HERSELF A YEAR BEFORE. MARIA WAS ORGANIZING A CHARITY BALL TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE DISORDER. SHE HAD WRITTEN A SONG ABOUT THE ILLNESS WHICH SHE WANTED TO SING TO A HOST OF CELEBRITIES. WHEN SHE FAILED TO SELL ANY TICKETS THE TRUSTEES BECAME CONCERNED AND PUT THE PROJECT ON HOLD. THE DELAY PUT THE PROJECT IN JEOPARDY. THEN, ON THE FIFTEENTH OF JULY, 2003, MARIA GOT A PHONE CALL FROM THE CARLTON HOTEL SAYING THEY WERE PULLING OUT. SHE WAS FURIOUS. SHE PHONED HER CASE WORKER TWICE. THE CALLS WERE RECORDED IN MARIA’S CASE NOTES. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> I GOT A PHONE CALL AT FIVE-THIRTY FROM MARIA, YELLING AND SCREAMING. SHE TOLD ME SHE WOULDN’T BE HERE TOMORROW. I SAID VERY LITTLE, AS I LEARNED FROM PAST EPISODES IT JUST MAKES MATTERS WORSE.

>> Narrator: BUT THIS WASN’T JUST A CRY FOR HELP. MARIA MADE TWO MORE PHONE CALLS SAYING SHE WOULDN’T BE AROUND THE NEXT DAY. THEN SHE PUT HER DRASTIC PLAN INTO ACTION.

>> FROM NINE P.M. TO ELEVEN TWENTY, THIRY-FIVE P.M. WHEN SHE WROTE HER LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT AND LEFT IT ON THE COMPUTER THERE WAS TWO AND A HALF HOURS WHEN SOMEONE COULD HAVE GONE AND RAN AND CHECKED ON HER.

>> Narrator: AT ELEVEN-O-CLOCK, MARIA DE SILVA LEFT THE HOUSE AND DROVE TO AOTEA SQUARE. SHE LEFT THE CAR OUTSIDE THE POLICE STATION AND MADE HER WAY DOWN TO THE SQUARE. AFTER HER SETBACK AT THE PLASTIC SURGEONS, RACHAEL’S BOUNCED BACK. SHE’S GOT EVERY REASON TO BE HAPPY. ON SATURDAY SHE’S GETTING MARRIED TO SY. ALTHOUGH SHE’S LOOKING FORWARD TO THE WEDDING, SHE’S APPREHENSIVE TOO. MANY OF THE RELATIVES DON’T KNOW ABOUT HER DISORDER.

>> THE REASON I CHOSE THIS DRESS WAS BECAUSE IT COVERED MY SCARS QUITE NICELY. I HAVE ABOUT TWO HUNDRED ON MYSELF, AND I DIDN’T WANT FOR THE NEW RELATIVES AND PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT ABOUT ME.

>> Narrator: FOR RACHAEL, THE BIG DAY IS HERE. SY IS WAITING FOR HER TO ARRIVE.

>> I MET MY PARTNER, AND I LET MY GUARD DOWN, WHETHER IT BE BECAUSE HE’S JUST GOT AN AWESOME PERSONALITY, OR QUITE WHAT IT WAS, AND I ALLOWED MYSELF TO BE LOVED. AND WHEN I WAS, IT WAS JUST A COMPLETELY ENTIRELY NEW EXPERIENCE AND SUCH A POSITIVE ONE THAT I STARTED TO SLOWLY REBUILD, AND THE EMOTION, I STARTED TO WANT TO LOVE. SO IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A REBIRTH. Personality Disorder Assignment Project

>> TODAY SY, I JOIN MY LIFE TO YOURS.

>> TODAY SY, I JOIN MY LIFE TO YOURS.

>> LET ME BE THE SHOULDER YOU LEAN ON.

>> LET ME BE THE SHOULDER YOU LEAN ON.

>> THE ROCK ON WHICH YOU REST.

>> THE ROCK ON WHICH YOU REST.

>> THE COMPANION OF YOUR LIFE.

>> THE COMPANION OF YOUR LIFE.

>> WITH YOU I WILL WALK MY PATH.

>> WITH YOU I WILL WALK MY PATH.

>> FROM THIS DAY FORWARD.

>> FROM THIS DAY FORWARD.

>> UNTIL WE ARE PARTED BY DEATH.

>> UNTIL WE ARE PARTED BY DEATH.

(applause).

>> Narrator: MARIA DE SILVA’S LAST MOMENTS ARE CAUGHT ON CCTV. AT ONE THIRTY-FIVE SHE SET FIRE TO HERSELF. AMBULANCES RACED TO SAVE HER, BUT IT WAS TOO LATE. SHE DIED LATER IN HOSPITAL. MARIA’S BROTHER, DENNY, IS DEVASTATED BY HIS SISTER’S DEATH. HE DOESN’T ACCEPT AS OTHERS DO THAT SHE MEANT TO KILL HERSELF, NOT LEAST BECAUSE SHE CALLED THREE PEOPLE, INCLUDING HER CASE WORKER, THE NIGHT SHE DIED, WARNING THEM SHE WOULDN’T BE THERE THE NEXT DAY.

>> IF SOMEBODY HAD REACTED TO HER LAST CALLS IN THAT LAST TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, CERTAINLY THE EVENING BEFORE SHE DIED, SHE’D BE STILL ALIVE, WOULDN’T SHE, OR SHE MIGHT HAVE LIVED ANOTHER DAY, OR SHE MIGHT HAVE LIVED ANOTHER WEEK. SHE MIGHT HAVE LIVED ANOTHER MONTH. SHE MIGHT STLL BE ALIVE TODAY.

>> Narrator: HE’S ESPECIALLY QUESTIONING WHY THOSE IN CHARGE OF HER CARE AND WHO KNEW OF HER DISTRESS DIDN’T DO MORE.

>> HOW MUCH MORE GRAPHIC DETAIL DID THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WOMAN WAS REALLY CLOSE TO ACTUALLY JUMPING OVER THE CLIFF? THAT’S WHAT I DON’T UNDERSTAND.

>> Narrator: COUNTIES MANUKAU DISTRICT HEALTH BOARDS SAY ALL THE CORRECT PROCEDURES TO HELP MARIA WERE IN PLACE THAT NIGHT, AND MARIA WAS AWARE OF THEM. BEST FRIEND AND COMMUNITY CARER RAEWYN BIEL WAS ANOTHER PERSON MARIA RANG ON THE NIGHT SHE DIED. COULD SHE HAVE DONE MORE?

>> I THINK WE COULD ONLY STOP IT FOR SO LONG. YOU SORT OF KNOW THAT ONE DAY IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN, AND YOU’RE JUST NOT GOING TO BE THERE. I GUESS THIS WAS THE TIME.

>> Narrator: FOR RACHAEL, IT’S TIME TO MAKE AMENDS FOR THE HURT SHE’S CAUSED HER MOTHER IN THE PAST, AND LOOK TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE TOGETHER.

>> I AM FOREVER THANKFUL FOR WHAT MY MOM DID AND WHAT SHE SAW, AND WHAT SHE PUT UP WITH.

>> WE CAN SYMPATHIZE…

>> I’M SORRY.

>> YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SORRY BECAUSE I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM SO PROUD OF YOU. I SAW THE FIGHT AND I SAW THE BATTLE, AND I KNEW IT WAS HARD, AND I KNEW YOU WERE GOING THROUGH HELL, BUT YOU STILL KEPT ON FIGHTING. AND YOU WON, YOU WON. AND YES, I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE OUT THERE TO KNOW THAT THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. IT’S JUST THE COMING THROUGH THAT’S THE HARD PART. AND IT’S WORTH IT, IT’S WORTH IT, BECAUSE YOU GET YOUR DAUGHTER, YOU GET YOUR CHILD BACK AGAIN. ? Personality Disorder Assignment Project

 

Full Program