South Africans are still reeling from the disturbing case of Amber Lee Hughes, the former preschool teacher who admitted to drowning her ex-boyfriend’s four-year-old daughter, Nada-Jane Challita, in 2023.
During her court appearance, Hughes claimed she was suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) at the time of the crime. The courtroom revelation has divided public opinion: can a mental health diagnosis explain such violence, or does invoking it unfairly stigmatise people living with BPD?
The truth, as mental health experts point out, is far more complex.
Understanding BPD Beyond the Headlines
@the.truth.doctor BPD isn’t being “too much.” It’s being left alone with too much, for too long—and doing whatever your system had to do to survive it. If you saw yourself in this— drop “BPD” in the comments so I know you’re here, and I’ll keep showing up with more like this 🫂 #borderlinepersonalitydisorder #bpd #bpdtok #therapist #therapy #WHOFides #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealth ♬ original sound – Dr. Courtney | 🧠 Therapist
Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions. Often sensationalised in the media, it is marked by emotional intensity, unstable relationships, impulsive behaviour, and deep fears of abandonment.
Clinical psychologist Dr Happy Setsiba explains it this way: people with BPD often feel things more deeply and more quickly than others, but lack the tools to regulate those emotions. What may feel like a minor rejection to most can feel like a life-threatening abandonment to someone with BPD.
According to the DSM-5, symptoms include:
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Rapidly shifting moods and relationships
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Impulsivity and self-destructive behaviours
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Intense fear of rejection or abandonment
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Explosive anger or “borderline rage”
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Chronic feelings of emptiness
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Self-harm or suicidal thoughts
Psychotherapist Dr Courtney Tracy, known online as The Truth Doctor, describes it as “thinking and feeling faster and deeper than most people in an environment that wasn’t able to meet you where you were.”
What Happens in the Brain
Research suggests that people with BPD process emotions differently. The amygdala, which detects threats, is overactive, while the prefrontal cortex, which controls impulses, is underactive.
That imbalance means emotions rise quickly, feel overwhelming, and take much longer to settle down. While most people might snap and calm down, someone with BPD can spiral into rage, panic, or despair, sometimes leading to reckless behaviour.
Does BPD Lead to Violence?
@the.truth.doctor BPD isn’t being “too much.” It’s being left alone with too much, for too long—and doing whatever your system had to do to survive it. If you saw yourself in this— drop “BPD” in the comments so I know you’re here, and I’ll keep showing up with more like this 🫂 #borderlinepersonalitydisorder #bpd #bpdtok #therapist #therapy #WHOFides #MentalHealthAwareness #MentalHealth ♬ original sound – Dr. Courtney | 🧠 Therapist
This is where nuance matters. Studies show that people with BPD are far more likely to harm themselves than others. In fact, around 70% attempt self-harm, and up to 10% die by suicide.
Yes, untreated BPD can sometimes trigger aggression, usually in situations where the person feels rejected or betrayed. But experts stress that violent crimes like Hughes’s case are the exception, not the rule.
Psychiatrist Dr Lisa Firestone notes that when people with BPD feel abandoned, their brain can flip into “survival mode,” shutting down rational thought. This doesn’t excuse violence, but it does explain the distorted emotional processing behind it.
A South African Context
What makes this case even more pressing is South Africa’s fragile mental health system. According to SADAG (South African Depression and Anxiety Group), less than 10% of people with a mental health condition receive treatment.
That lack of access can turn treatable conditions into lifelong battles. For people with BPD, therapy — particularly Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), has been shown to help regulate emotions, reduce self-harm, and improve relationships. But in a country where therapy remains inaccessible for many, those interventions are out of reach.
The Hughes case has become a grim reminder of what happens when mental health care falls through the cracks.
A Tragedy That Raises Bigger Questions
For the family of Nada-Jane Challita, no diagnosis can undo the pain of losing a child. But for South Africa as a whole, the case forces us to confront uncomfortable truths:
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Mental illness is not an excuse for crime, but untreated conditions can contribute to destructive behaviour.
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Stigma hurts more than it helps. Most people with BPD are not violent, yet they are often treated with fear rather than compassion.
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Access to care matters. Without widespread, affordable therapy, tragedies linked to untreated mental illness will continue.
As Dr Tracy reminds us: “It’s not about being too much. It’s about having felt alone with too much for too long.”
The Hughes case will likely remain in headlines for years to come, but beyond the crime lies a call to action: improve mental health care, fight stigma, and ensure that people struggling with conditions like BPD are met with treatment, not silence.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call the South African Suicide Crisis Helpline at 0800 567 567 or SADAG at 0800 456 789. Help is available, and recovery is possible.
{Source: IOL}
Featured Image: X{@cptsdfoundation}
