Borderline Personality Disorder - Diagnosis, Women, and Trauma Artwork

Escape the Paradox

Welcome to Escape the Paradox, where I expose the hidden reality of coercive control and domestic violence including psychological, emotional and physical abuse.

I’m Helena, a survivor of childhood abuse. I'm a mental health nursing student and advocate, here to support you in breaking free from the confusion, fear, and isolation that abuse creates.

Home should be the safest place, but for many, it becomes the most dangerous.

In each episode, I share my personal story and dive into my own experiences, as well as survivor experiences, trauma-informed insights, and expert research to help you understand the mechanisms of abuse and begin your healing journey.

We’ll explore tactics such as gaslighting, and how abusers wield and seek power and control, not to diagnose, but because naming abuse is the first step in reclaiming your reality.

If you're ready to reconnect with your truth and rebuild your self-worth through clarity and understanding, you’re in the right place.

Follow Escape the Paradox on Threads, Instagram, and TikTok: @escapetheparadox.

All Episodes

Escape the Paradox

Borderline Personality Disorder - Diagnosis, Women, and Trauma

December 22, 2025 • Helena Hickman

Send us a text

I think you are worth the effort of healing.

In this (long) episode, I examine the diagnostic criteria of Borderline Personality Disorder, focusing on how the diagnosis is disproportionately applied to women and deeply intertwined with histories of trauma. It explores how trauma responses are often pathologized, the gendered assumptions embedded in diagnostic practices, and the consequences of mislabeling and stigmatizing distress.

References

Structural Violence and the Effects of the Patriarchal Structure on the Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BDP): A Critical Study Using Tools on BPD Symptoms and Social Violence https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/2/196

Borderline Personality Disorder and Childhood Trauma: Exploring the Affected Biological Systems and Mechanisms. https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-017-1383-2

Childhood Trauma and Axis I Disorders In Borderline Personality Disorder: A Correlational Study. https://mecp.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43045-025-00511-3

DSM-5 Made Easy. Dsm-5-Tr-Made-Easy-Clinicians-Diagnosis

New Professional Practice Guideline for Adults with Complex Trauma Histories https://www.ctipp.org/post/new-professional-practice-guideline-for-adults-with-complex-trauma-histories

Welcome to Escape the Paradox, a podcast dedicated to exposing and exploring the truth about coercive control, emotional abuse, and the long-term trauma caused by abusive relationships.

Whether it's childhood abuse from a parent, intimate partner violence, or domestic abuse in any form, this podcast dives into the patterns, dynamics, and the psychological impact.

My name is Helena, and I am your host! I share my own lived experience as a survivor of childhood abuse, while also creating space for survivor stories, expert insight, and compassionate support.

Healing is non-linear, and a complex and difficult process.

If you're looking for support, please visit escapetheparadox.com to learn more about my services in abuse consulting and advocacy and 1:1 sessions.

Don't forget to subscribe (follow) wherever you get your podcasts!

Remember: It's not your fault, and your story matters!