Junior Independent Study Investigates Borderline Personality Disorder

A hallmark of a Parker education is the goal to develop students who have the capacity to leverage their personal passions and begin conducting independent inquiry. Beginning in 11th grade, many students elect to design and develop unique courses that take a deeper dive into academic areas that especially pique their interest. Students pursue these “Independent Studies” under the thoughtful supervision of master educators on Parker’s faculty, and they can span a semester or an entire year depending on the content and scope of a student’s proposal.

Recently, junior Ashley Golden has spent time working with Upper School science teacher Ryan Zaremba on a project that is of particular interest to her. Please read Golden’s thoughts on this process:

My name is Ashley Golden. I am currently a junior, and over the last semester, I have been working on an independent study focusing on Borderline Personality Disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder (otherwise known as BPD) is one of the 10 Personality Disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder Fifth Edition. BPD is one of the most complex and stigmatized mental disorders; it is categorized mainly by debilitating “instability of interpersonal relationships, self image” and impulsivity. BPD affects around 1 to 3% of the U.S. population, according to different estimates.

As someone who has struggled with my own mental health issues, I wanted to learn more about this complex disorder. Over the semester, I have been writing a report about BPD; while it is not done, I plan to continue researching and learning more about this disorder over the summer and into the future. Attached below is a segment from my paper that discussed the stigma associated with BPD. If you choose to read it, I hope you enjoy it.

We are very proud of Golden for pushing her intellectual pursuits beyond the current course offerings and thankful for Zaremba for volunteering to facilitate her accomplishments.