How to get diagnosis for BDP

[ladycounselor2be]

Hello:
You have received some very sage advice here. I am a graduate student, one of my first case studies was BPD.
First of all for professional's BPD is a very complex disorder to diagnosis. According to the website National Institute on mental health:
Because some people with severe BPD have brief psychotic episodes, experts originally thought of this illness as atypical, or borderline, versions of other mental disorders. While mental health experts now generally agree that the name "borderline personality disorder" is misleading, a more accurate term does not exist yet.

Most people who have BPD suffer from:
Problems with regulating emotions and thoughts
Impulsive and reckless behavior
Unstable relationships with other people.
The last one often makes it hard to diagnose, most BPD's are difficult to reach.

I had a former friend, who was very difficult to get along with- we would attend church, fellowship and then a little thing would "trigger her" someone didn't respond to her greeting (they didn't hear her) and it would be a frothy, foamy, ear splitting tirade. She would spend endless hours talking about herself, yet she was always alone.
She has always had a hard time keeping a job, "people hate on her" as she says. Its highly complex.
I understand your desire to know your diagnosis - then you will be able to be treated. Go to National Alliance of Mental Illness NAMI (I cannot post the link directly as I am new here) and National institute on Mental Health NIMH you can find support groups. links for psychiatrist-psychologist who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment BPD. You're not alone! And its treatable and manageable.
Blessing -go to the websites.

 

[Butterfly]

Thanks for your input ladycounselor, that is excellent! That is a path I want to take someday when I am better. BPD IS very complex, you are right. Also part of what makes it complex is that it shares some of the same symptoms as Bi-Polar, PTSD (which is what I was originally dxed with), Narcissism, Depression, Anxiety, etc.

I am grateful that I have that diagnosis. It took us a year to get it though, because I do fairly well now thanks to extensive counseling when I was younger (no diagnosis then though, although my counselor from back then says that BPD does fit me perfectly).

I understand the hair trigger thing. It's freaky. Really freaky. Because in my heart I know that my reaction is overreaction, but it's almost like I have very little control over my reaction.

Good luck and God bless you on your journey to becoming a counselor!

 

[Ruthie24]

Just want to say, for those of you who have BPD, don't beat yourselves up, let others put you down, or give you a hard time. This is a more prevalent diagnosis than people realize. There is treatment, don't give up. Fight for the assessments and treatment if you have too. The biggest advice I can give you if you don't have any health insurance and you suspect you have BPD, you can go online to amazon.com and believe it or not they have BPD workbooks for clients who suspect or have been dx with this condition. A lot of people want to stereotype others who have BPD and I think that's just so wrong, as in my philosophy when I talk to my clients, I tell them we are all human beings with certain levels of brokenness, some are obvious, some aren't, but everyone is broken in some way. Don't give up hope or the fight to get well, I know a lot of clients who've recovered and I swear that healing is possible. Don't give up on yourselves no matter what.