On January 11th, the Borderline Personality Disorder community lost a person who had as much impact on improving the lives of those with BPD as anyone.
Dr. John Gunderson, MD, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Director Emeritus of the affiliated McLean Hospital and a pioneer in the diagnosis, treatment, and research of borderline personality disorder (BPD) passed away.
How important was John Gunderson and his work regarding BPD? Irreplaceable.
Throughout his long career at Harvard Medical School and the McLean Hospital he not only expressed great compassion for patients and families impacted by BPD, but promoted the belief that, contrary to conventional attitudes among most mental health professionals, this complex psychiatric disorder was highly treatable.
His many internationally recognized writings and research studies on BPD helped transform the diagnosis into a scientifically recognized disorder and earned him the reputation as the “father of BPD.”
Colleague Scott Rauch, MD, psychiatrist-in-chief at McLean Hospital noted, “Dr. Gunderson’s positive impact on the field of psychiatry and the millions of patients and families his work affected is profound and beyond measure.”
Dr. Gunderson’s full obituary notice is available on the website for BPDglobal, a family and patient centric advocacy organization.
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