Bev Fredborg

Bev Fredborg is a PhD student in Dr. Todd Girard's Brain Imaging and Memory Lab. 

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in Canadians ages 15 – 24. Suicidal gestures are one of the core criteria for a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD), a complex mental disorder associated with significant dysregulation in emotions, behavior, thoughts, identity, and interpersonal functioning. How can established treatments for BPD be made more effective to reduce suicide?  

As a clinical psychology doctoral student, Bev's research interests span multiple domains (e.g., autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, as well as social anxiety disorder), but at Ryerson and through a partnership with the BPD clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, she has primarily been focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), the leading treatment for individuals with BPD. To this end, Bev is interested in how to refine DBT to better serve the BPD population to reduce suffering in individuals with this disorder.

Bev's passion for mental health is also evidenced through her outreach work. She is the host of a podcast called Stop Psychoanalyzing Me, which aims to educate lay people about common mental disorders, theories, and treatments in a light-hearted way through interviews with experts on their research. Throughout the first few seasons of the podcast, Stop Psychoanalyzing Me heavily features experts from Ryerson’s own psychology department.

You can check out Stop Psychoanalyzing Me anywhere you listen to podcasts, and see what Bev is up to with her podcast on Instagram at @stoppsychoanalyzingme.