Girl In Need of A Tourniquet

Interview with Merri Lisa Johnson, a woman diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and author of Girl In Need of a Tourniquet - A Memoir of a Borderline Personality. Johnson has described herself as a "high-functioning" type of BPD. We will talk about the differences between high and low functioning and acting-in and acting-out and what they might mean for treatment and recovery along with the stigma of BPD and much more. Merri Lisa Johnson believes in bold lines, strange truths, off rhymes, and the art of the glimpse. After pursuing various graduate degrees in colder climates, Johnson returned to the southeastern US, where she performs a curious balancing act as author, professor, and Women’s and Gender Studies program administrator. A newlywed lesbian-after-­marriage, Johnson currently resides in South Carolina with her part­ner Stace and their two loyal shih tzus. An honest and compelling memoir, Girl in Need of A Tourniquet is Merri Lisa Johnson’s account of her borderline personality disorder and how it has affected her life and relationships. Johnson describes the feeling of “bleeding out” — unable to tell where she stopped and where her partner began. A self-confessed “psycho girlfriend,” she was influenced by many emotional factors from her past. She recalls her path through a dysfunctional, destructive relationship, while recounting the experiences that brought her to her breaking point. In recognizing her struggle with borderline personality disorder, Johnson is ultimately able to seek help, embarking on a soul-searching healing process. It’s a path that is painful, difficult, and at times heart-wrenching, but ultimately makes her more able to love and coexist in healthy relationships.