ALL ABOUT BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDERS

Dr. Sathya Rao, OAM Service to Psychiatry

After nearly 25 years of experience in the mental health field in Australia, Melbourne’s Dr Sathya Rao has been recognised with an OAM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours this year. He has seen significant changes in mental health practices in his years of work, where he is dedicated to treating people with borderline personality disorder and complex trauma disorder.

“I am very deeply humbled,” Dr Rao told Indian Link. “I think it’s a recognition of the kind of work that we do at Spectrum [a service that specialises in personality and complex trauma disorders].”

A patient early in his career brought him to this particular specialisation.

“I was working in a small town in Victoria in 1997 and my first patient happened to be someone with borderline personality disorder (BPD),” Dr Rao recounted. “I had no clue how to help her.”

When he graduated from Bangalore’s National Institute for Mental Health and

Neurosciences (NIMHANS), one of the leading institutes of its kind in India, the science of treating personality disorders was still in its infancy globally.

Dr. Rao collaborated with other specialists, and together they were able to successfully help his first patient.

“That’s where my journey started. The same year, we set up Spectrum in Melbourne.”

Since then, his journey in treating personality disorders has seen a sharp upward trajectory, aided by developments in the field.

He has been the Executive Clinical Director of Spectrum since 2012, and is also a Consultant Psychiatrist there and interests in academia with over 70 international peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.

Prof. Samer Bhole is also very active in Sydney’s Marathi community.

Advising fellow Indian immigrants, Prof. Bhole recommends making the most of opportunities that come your way, however small they may be.

“Australia is a land of opportunity and there are many pathways to get to your chosen destination,” he observed. “We need to learn to grab every opportunity to contribute. When I first came to Australia, I did a lot of odd jobs in retail, where the focus was on quality customer service. Those lessons proved to be invaluable.”

Usha Ramanujam Arvind

with three other organisations, including Delmont Private Hospital.

“The patients that we work with are those that are often stigmatised, discriminated against and marginalised. Unfortunately, most patients go without access to treatment,” Dr Rao revealed. “When someone gets a diagnosis of BPD, their lifespan is reduced by 20 years, unbelievably.”

He emphasised that although personality disorders are treatable, about 10% of the people with the disorder are lost to suicide.

“This is something which is preventable. So I am really passionate about doing my very best and making a tangible change in