Brandon Marshall reveals his fight with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

By Liz Lockhart

Thirty minutes after a practice session, American Football star Brandon Marshall (27) made an impassioned statement about his battle with Borderline Personality Disorder and his dedication to raising awareness about this condition.

His statement lasted for half an hour and was, at times, hard to watch. Marshall stumbled for the right words and looked uneasy but determined. You had to feel compassion and admiration for the young, famous and talented man as he opened up to tell the world about his fight with BPD and his dream to help others.

Marshall was diagnosed with BPD earlier this year, a condition that has affected his life so severely that, he said, it could cost him his marriage.

‘The longer that BPD goes untreated the worse it gets as you all have seen my life publicly’ said Marshall. ‘I would have thrown away my career, and there was a good possibility my life. I’m still suffering from the consequences of this. Another reason why I am so passionate (about) it is because I may lose my wife still, and that hurts me.’

Marshall’s brushes with the law have been well documented. The Dolphins were well aware of these when they signed him up last year. Last April police were called to Marshall’s Fort Lauderdale home where they arrested his wife. Michi Nogami-Marshall was alleged to have stabbed her husband in the stomach. Brandon maintains that he fell over a vase and cut himself and charges were dropped last week. This was the second time that an arrest was made after a domestic dispute between the married couple.

The account of Brandon’s BPD was first revealed in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in which he said that BPD has prevented him from enjoying any part of his life, his marriage, making it to the Pro Bowl, geting a college degree, his nice house or his fancy cars.

‘It was hard for me to understand why I felt the way I felt inside’ he said.

Marshall now plans to become a crusader for BPD in an effort to heal himself and to help others. He is to make a documentary about his journey through BPD. He also hopes to study for a master’s degree.

One of the over-riding themes of Brandon’s statement was his marriage. He says that he is trying to turn his life around, for himself and those around him, especially his wife.

‘If I wasn’t married, I would have never went to McLean Hospital’ Marshall said. ‘I love my wife so much and she is a great person and that was my determination, to build that family and have a chance to build that family. That was my inspiration’.

What a good thing it is that Brandon Marshall could find that inspiration and get the diagnosis and help that he needs on his journey to recovery.