Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall will remain in the Windy City for the foreseeable future. Marshall announced on The View that he has signed a three-year extension worth $30 million, with $1 million of that he immediately pledged to raise mental health awareness.
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Brandon opened up to the media in 2011 that he has been diagnosed and treated for borderline personality disorder (BPD). “I have a dream home, two nice cars, three beautiful dogs, but I haven’t enjoyed one part of it,” Marshall says. “And it was hard to understand why.”
BPD affects 2 percent of the adult population and is less well known than other disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It is characterized by mood swings, unstable self image, troubled relationships and fears of abandonment.
READ: NFL Star Battles With Personality Disorder
BPD diagnoses are overwhelmingly more common among women. Nearly 75 percent all BPD diagnoses are made in women. There is speculation that both Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana suffered from BPD.
The mental illness — which may arise from childhood issues of abandonment, trauma and sexual abuse — is also characterized by a high incidence of self harm and suicide. Nearly 80 percent of those diagnosed with BPD report having suicidal tendencies. Other typical symptoms include disproportionate anger, impulsive sex, periods of alcoholism and binge eating. BPD often occurs in conjunction with other mental illnesses like anxiety and depression
“Before this ordeal I kept asking God to show me my purpose. He gave me this,” Marshall says. “I’ll be the face of BPD. I’ll make myself vulnerable if it saves someone’s life because I know what I went through this summer helped save mine.”
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