"Borderline Personality Disorder — With each passing day as the mental health worsens the dreams wither."
(Oil on Canvas)
About the Artist
My name is Zahra Qaiser. I was diagnosed with BPD when I was 16. I am 24 at the moment. With me the thing was even though I was diagnosed early, no doctor knew how to approach my illness in an effective way. I for a long time felt like an experimental case for some doctors, while others straight up refused to take me as their patient. Then at 18 I was told that I needed DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy). DBT isn’t available in Pakistan so I had to travel abroad. With DBT I did improve to some extent but not completely. I am a student of medicine and in my last year now. The first four years with this illness felt like I could never live a life where I could be anything but this disorder. I couldn’t do well in my studies, my social life was a mess, I was paranoid, and so many other things were happening. But my DBT therapist encouraged me to show my emotions through art and poetry. I started doing that, which helped me a lot with expressing myself. Each time I felt like no one was getting me, I made a painting. I am still doing that. Painting and writing helps me channel my emotions in a way that is both constructive and gives other people an idea of what I am going through.