Anna Nicole Had Borderline Personality Disorder

Long before her death, the public was well aware that Anna Nicole Smith had a prescription drug problem; fans realized her strange behavior on her reality show wasn’t all staged.  During the drug conspiracy trial surrounding her death, a hospital psychiatrist has verified what many already suspected.

Dr. Nathalie Maullin was on call at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center when Smith was brought in 4 years ago; she was suffering from acute withdrawal from Xanax and the painkiller Methadone.  Dr. Maullin told the court that Smith had quit the drugs “cold turkey” because she was concerned about the welfare of her unborn child.

But in addition to her drug abuse problems, Dr. Maullin testified that Smith also suffered from another significant psychological problem:  borderline personality disorder.

What is BPD?

According to Borderline Personality Disorder Central, BPD is a serious psychiatric illness that is marked by the following:

*High Conflict
*Divorce
*Suicide (according to the Stone New York State Psychiatric Institute, 9% of BPD sufferers kill themselves)
*Substance Abuse
*Child Abuse
*Sexual and Emotional Abuse
*Eating disorders
*Estrangement from family members

It is estimated that 6 million adults in the United States have the disorder; however, because of the ensuing chaos that surrounds those who are afflicted, 30 million more people are directly and seriously affected by it.

Treatment for BPD Sufferers

According to former FBI criminal profiler Candace DeLong, at the core of those suffering from BPD is a profound fear of abandonment.  This fear can turn into rage towards those the BP perceives as abandoning them, whether that belief is real or imagined.

Although some semblance of recovery is possible, the process is long and arduous.  Many times those with BPD have to face issues that completely terrify them, such as childhood sexual and emotional abuse.

An outstanding resource for those who are affected by the abuse and erratic behavior of a borderline is “Stop Walking on Eggshells:  Taking your Life Back When Someone you Care for has Borderline Personality Disorder”, by Randi Kreger and Paul Mason.