The Chief Executive is responsible for the management of Borderline Support UK, and is supported by a strategic leadership team of trustees and other key volunteer roles.
Tess Linton, Chief Executive and Founder
I founded Borderline Support UK in 2020, following a borderline personality disorder diagnosis. A diagnosis of BPD can be devastating, especially when – as with me – you’ve never heard of it before. I’d lived with depression and anxiety, as well as CPTSD, for decades, but BPD was completely new to me.
Returning home after my diagnosis, I talked to my family about it – none of them had ever heard of BPD. I searched online and found nothing but negativity – myths and misconceptions that people with BPD are manipulative, attention-seeking or dangerous. I read countless news stories of violent crimes committed by people who supposedly had BPD, and many articles claiming that BPD was untreatable, recovery impossible and suicide likely.
I refused to accept these myths – after all, I wasn’t violent or dangerous to anyone, I wasn’t manipulative or attention-seeking, I was a person with a complex health condition that had affected every aspect of my life for most of my life,
I launched Borderline Support so that nobody would ever be left in this position – alone without information or support, with no hope for the future.
I’m passionate about supporting people, changing the conversation around BPD, dispelling myths and misconceptions, and making change happen by campaigning for better treatment and ongoing support for people impacted by borderline personality disorder. I’m also passionate about promoting hope and optimism about BPD, showing that people can have a full and healthy life in recovery.
Outside of running Borderline Support, my family keep me pretty busy and I love visiting museums and galleries, and enjoy going to concerts, musicals, plays and ballets.
I’m lucky enough to live near the coast, so I regularly get out to the beach for walks and fresh air – sea air is definitely good for the soul!