Dismantling Fatal Attraction’s Stigmatization of Borderline Personality Disorder
The 1987 thriller demonized Borderline Personality Disorder patients for decades — with disastrous consequences
Though not a cinematic masterpiece by any means, Adrian Lyne’s Fatal Attraction is arguably one of the most culturally relevant films of the 1980s. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, you’re probably familiar with at least some of its culturally significant legacy, like the expression “bunny boiler,” or, you know, the way that the film stigmatized patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) for decades to follow…
Borderline Personality Disorder has been and still is a deeply misunderstood and stigmatized condition both inside and outside of the medical community. And Fatal Attraction’s problematic legacy played a pivotal role in the further stigmatization and demonization of BPD patients.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
Let us begin by specifying two things: first, unlike the filmmakers who made Fatal Attraction, the author of this article actually does suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder (more on that here); and, second:
At no point in the movie is Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) diagnosed…
