“I thought that mental health problems were something that you caught while young”: Lucy Yanow

A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma

Can recreational drugs be used to treat BPD in controlled environments? In this interview, I talk with Lucy Yanow, who holds a master’s degree in Bioethics and Society and formerly worked as a midwife, doula, and protector of reproductive rights. I ask her about her experience taking ketamine pills for depression and suicidality, but our conversation detours in rich and surprising ways. Lucy opens up about how her family’s history of suicide has affected her. She thoughtfully reflects on intergenerational trauma, the limitations she sees in talk therapy, and weighing the risks of drug therapy against suicidality.

Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources:

Chittaranjan Andrade, “Ketamine for Depression—Knowns, Unknowns, Possibilities, Barriers, and Opportunities”

Sarah K. Fineberg et al., “A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Ketamine in Borderline Personality Disorder”

Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Herland

Thomas Vanicek et al., “Intravenous Esketamine Leads to an Increase in Impulsive and Suicidal Behaviour in a Patient with Recurrent Major Depression and Borderline Personality Disorder”