ABSTRACT
It is both easy and customary to pathologise teenagers and to attribute labels to their distress such as suffering from anorexia and, later on, possibly a BPD diagnosis. The dynamics in a family that can lead to accumulative distress as well as a sense of emotional isolation for a young person are not always easy to spot. Especially in the context of middle-class and apparently privileged families, teenage angst and self-harming behaviour can look like an internal state of pathology. This story offers insight into a difficult mother–daughter relationship, which feels deeply depriving to the daughter. It offers understanding and empathy with teenage distress rather than focusing on the diagnosis of pathology.
