No Laurene, I don’t believe that at all. If there is a chance to save the relationship— then do it. But from my experience, the first thing you have to do when living with a person who suffers from a PD, you need to educate yourself. Because, as I mentioned in the article, if you don’t do that, you throw around phrases in your head like “this person is sick” without really understanding what you mean by that. Most people have no idea what they are dealing with, nor do the affected know what they are dealing with. That is not a good starting point. Once you know, you can act accordingly. The goal is to decrease suffering on both ends. And yes, sometimes it includes a break up, but not necessarily. If there is progress, even the slightest, I believe you should grab it. But if there is only suffering and no progress, one should be free to make a different decision. We all exist because someone had the nerves to put up with us. Far from it that you should just leave when there is a problem. No, no. Go and give your best, but sometimes you will have to recognize that it’s never enough. I’m happy for everyone who succeeds — all power to them! And of course there is a spectrum of severity — but this not an article about it. It is about recognizing mental disorders in others.