Luisa Ferreira: “I’m so proud that all of you are here, to have this conversation with you is absolutely inspiring. We all have a right to be here, so please thank you for this opportunity for me to share these words with you about my life.”
Samantha’s story will appear on the cover of the anthology, “Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Behind the Mask,” published Friday by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. This month’s issue includes six of the 20th anniversary issues of the anthology.
The conversation focused on Samantha’s battle with BPD at the very beginning, as she tells Dr. Drew about her family struggles and how, after five years of dealing with the illness, she’s now at a place where she’s at peace.
She said that at one point in the interview, Dr. Drew began apologizing for the severity of her condition, so much so that she broke into tears. Dr. Drew asked her if she was upset, and she responded, “No, no, because I couldn’t agree with what he said.”
She adds that when the doctor mentioned bipolar disorder, she wasn’t sure what he meant, but he pointed out that bipolar disorder is a bipolar disorder. (Bipolar disorder is a disorder that manifests primarily with mania, but can also bring on depression). “So then, of course, I told him that I’ve been on and off bipolar medication for the last six years, but I’ve never had manic episodes,” she revealed.
Dr. Drew asked Dr. Ferreira if it was difficult having bipolar disorder and having BPD in close proximity at the same time. “I can’t really speak for the rest of the panel, but there was a lot of awkwardness at our table. My family was like, ‘This isn’t like bipolar disorder to have bipolar disorder and BPD in close proximity! Why would you need to put me in this position?’ ”
Dr. Ferreira adds, “I thought, ‘Why would you do that for me?’ But I’m the lucky one out with bipolar disorder for a lot of reasons.”
The conversation also touched on how she had a meltdown right before a scheduled visit with her doctors. “I was on a plane, and I thought I was about to break down,” she shared. “I thought I would lose my mind if I saw my doctors or something like that.”