Many of you may remember the case of Arlette Contreras, the woman who was assaulted by her then-partner, Adriano Pozo, at the hotel where they were staying in the city of Ayacucho. He dragged her across the floor while insulting her, completely naked. To anyone with common sense, he was clearly an abuser—but apparently not to our judicial system.
It is unbelievable that this potential femicide perpetrator was acquitted. At this point, I no longer know whether this should surprise us in a country where someone can be jailed for gossiping while corrupt officials and perpetrators of serious crimes remain free. What is even more outrageous is that the aggressor attempted to avoid responsibility by claiming that he has Borderline Personality Disorder. Furthermore, his court ruling contains an extremely superficial and inaccurate description of what it actually means to live with this mental health condition.
I read that ruling with both surprise and anger, and I decided to write this article to challenge the misconceptions that have been spread about people living with Borderline Personality Disorder ("borderline"). First of all, we are not "borderline"—we live with borderline. A diagnosis does not define who we are. Every person is unique, and although we may share certain characteristics associated with the diagnosis, every case is different.
Those of us who live with borderline, the mental health professionals who properly treat this condition, as well as our families and friends, are the people best qualified to speak about it—not just anyone.
First of all, living with borderline does not eliminate awareness or reduce a person's capacity to make decisions: you remain fully conscious of your actions. Therefore, you are responsible for them. It is unacceptable to use this condition as an excuse for attempting to kill a woman. Secondly, although the diagnostic criteria describe common characteristics, they do not apply equally to everyone. In my own case, for example, I have never engaged in self-harm, attempted suicide, or experienced paranoid ideation.
Thirdly, many people living with borderline struggle with managing anger, but that does not mean we will become violent. It is true that some of us may find it more difficult to regulate our impulses at certain moments, but these episodes are usually brief and temporary. What this man did cannot be dismissed as a momentary loss of control. His defense simply attempted to use a mental health diagnosis as a scandalous excuse to avoid accountability for an attempted femicide.
The impunity granted to Adriano Pozo is deeply upsetting, especially when we consider the large number of women who develop mental health conditions as a consequence of sexual abuse experienced during childhood or adolescence. I have met many people with these experiences, and their stories are truly heartbreaking. For someone like Adriano Pozo to use borderline as an excuse for his violence is simply unacceptable.
On behalf of everyone who lives with borderline every day, I ask you not to place us in the same category as this man. We are people and we do not hurt others. No more stigma.
#EveryoneForMentalHealth
