Bipolar Disorder hits everyone from all walks of life and other mental disorders are no different; on Sunday, Miami Dolphin player Brandon Marshal admitted that he had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Brandon Marshall’s shocking confession did not come out of nowhere. His diagnosis came as a result of a series of tests and diagnostic tools after his wife “stabbed him in the abdomen.”

Brandon Marshall talked openly about his frustrations with being unable to manage his emotions as well as he would like and has said that his new diagnosis has “given him focus” and that he is willing to be the poster child for Borderline Personality Disorder. He is bravely making himself vulnerable by showing his weaknesses to the public instead of his strengths. 

Borderline Personality Disorder is much more common than Bipolar Disorder, and often gets bad press in the media. 

Brandon Marshall’s struggles with Borderline Personality Disorder were extremely volatile. At times, the NFL football player felt depressed, and at other times, felt that he was unable to trust his wife. At an extremely low point in their marriage, Brandon Marshall admits that he actually physically attempted to lock his wife in the closet.

He has been receiving treatment, but admits that he still struggles with petty jealousy--at one point in the interview he is jealous of another football player who has received a bigger advertising contract than he ever has--and the darkness inside him is a constant struggle. 

While Bipolar Disorder relates more to a shift in moods, Borderline Personality Disorder (as described in THIS psychcentral article) has more to do with trust issues. A person with Borderline Personality Disorder is unlikely to see things in finer shades of gray, but is likely to see the world and the people in it as black or white. This means a typical person diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder will see the people in his/her life as either with him or against him. In turn, this creates a series of trust issues for someone who has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Often, cognitive therapy, specifically Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, is helpful for a patient with Borderline Personality Disorder because the patient can learn new alternatives for struggling with their emotions, jealousy, and distrust. 

Because of the difficulties that people with Borderline Personality Disorder face, they are often depressed and run a much higher risk of attempting suicide than the average person. Often, treatment for individuals will Borderline Personality Disorder is more complex, but there is hope for patients like Brandon Marshall.