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- #13
hypervigilant
Silver Member
I'm not young I was 60 this year but yes I'm "difficult"
BPD Questioning BPD diagnosis
- Post starter hypervigilant
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Midnightmoon
Diamond Member
Is it your first presentation to mental health services... A diagnosis age 60 unless decades of earlier contact with services seems really really odd even by NHS standards...
On the upside, they used to burn difficult women at the stake.
Now they just ruin their reputations and destroy their self confidence by assigning random psychological deficiencies by way of the DSM.
Don't get me started on my beliefs on how the biases of mental health experts and their ability to subjectively assign diagnoses, can be used to 'punish' patients who balk at med changes , disagree with their doctors, etc. I think you are right to question the ability of someone to throw a label on you after mere minutes of discussion.
Now they just ruin their reputations and destroy their self confidence by assigning random psychological deficiencies by way of the DSM.
Don't get me started on my beliefs on how the biases of mental health experts and their ability to subjectively assign diagnoses, can be used to 'punish' patients who balk at med changes , disagree with their doctors, etc. I think you are right to question the ability of someone to throw a label on you after mere minutes of discussion.
Teasel
VIP Member
@hypervigilant When I was referred for treatment for bpd, I told the bpd team that I didn't relate to bpd symptoms, that I related to complex ptsd symptoms. They asked me a load of questions and decided to refer me to the ptsd stream instead. The ptsd stream invited me for an assessment, asked a load of questions, and offered me treatment for ptsd.
so if you do get referred for bpd treatment, I reckon it's worth bringing this up.
so if you do get referred for bpd treatment, I reckon it's worth bringing this up.
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- #17
hypervigilant
Silver Member
I had post natal depression after my second child but otherwise I haven't really had issues until regular contact with my granddaughter clicked something and I started having horrific flashbacks of my own childhood of neglect and abuse so my early fifties.
Calmdown
Bronze Member
I know several cases where women with ADHD were first diagnosed with BPD. This happens a lot, because symptoms can be so similiar and therapists usually barely know anything about ADHD. Problems regulating emotions, risk seeking behavior etc. can all be caused by ADHD.
As others said PTSD and especially CPTSD can also be very similiar to BPD.
People with PTSD and CPTSD also have depression and anxiety as a diagnosis instead of a trauma related diagnosis. It sucks and it depends on the case if you should ignore it or work on that. If you get the wrong treatment it is obviously important to find a therapist/doctor to give you a diagnosis that helps you getting the right treatment.
As others said PTSD and especially CPTSD can also be very similiar to BPD.
People with PTSD and CPTSD also have depression and anxiety as a diagnosis instead of a trauma related diagnosis. It sucks and it depends on the case if you should ignore it or work on that. If you get the wrong treatment it is obviously important to find a therapist/doctor to give you a diagnosis that helps you getting the right treatment.
Midnightmoon
Diamond Member
This really sounds like lazy diagnosis on the NHS's part, because this really isn't the background history that would typically be associated with BPD/ EUPD. I'd try @Teasel's suggestion of highlighting where you feel you fit more (PTSD/ CPTSD), your local trusts website will have a breakdown of the services they provide on their website . Some of them lump personality disorder and trauma together, some of them offer dedicated treatment programmes depending on diagnosis (and likewise some of them to bugger all other than a leaflet and a pat on the head but I'll get off of my soap box about that)
Ecdysis
Sponsor
I think another factor that muddles it all up is that childhood trauma *can* lead to BPD.
So it's not as easy as childhood trauma = PTSD.
Childhood trauma can lead to all sorts... PTSD, BPD, psychosis, addiction, and so on... It can also lead to no diagnosis/ no significant impairment at all.
So it's not as easy as childhood trauma = PTSD.
Childhood trauma can lead to all sorts... PTSD, BPD, psychosis, addiction, and so on... It can also lead to no diagnosis/ no significant impairment at all.
Ecdysis
Sponsor
I'm curious how everyone in this thread, who agrees that BPD is wildly over-diagnosed and often confused for other conditions like PTSD, ADHD, Autism, etc...
Where would *you* differentiate between PTSD and BPD in terms of symptoms/ diagnostically?
For me (and I have no idea whether this is right AT ALL) I think "Yeah, this sounds like BPD" when the push-pull dynamics that to some degree are normal in all human beings and normal to a greater extent in PTSD just go way above and beyond that... To me, BPD is a crazy-making level of push-pull in relationships... And a total over-hyper-focussing on relationships... I feel like people with BPD think a friendship/ relationship will "save" them, and when it doesn't they despair... Also, a very pronounced sense of "punishing" the other person, when they don't do what the person with BPD wants... The self-harming aspect rings true to me too, diagnositcally... And the "endless drama" aspect too...
As I said, I have no idea whether that's a valid way of differentiating... It's just my personal guesstimate of what's BPD and what isn't... Where's your guesstimate of yes it's probably BPD vs no it's probably not...?
Where would *you* differentiate between PTSD and BPD in terms of symptoms/ diagnostically?
For me (and I have no idea whether this is right AT ALL) I think "Yeah, this sounds like BPD" when the push-pull dynamics that to some degree are normal in all human beings and normal to a greater extent in PTSD just go way above and beyond that... To me, BPD is a crazy-making level of push-pull in relationships... And a total over-hyper-focussing on relationships... I feel like people with BPD think a friendship/ relationship will "save" them, and when it doesn't they despair... Also, a very pronounced sense of "punishing" the other person, when they don't do what the person with BPD wants... The self-harming aspect rings true to me too, diagnositcally... And the "endless drama" aspect too...
As I said, I have no idea whether that's a valid way of differentiating... It's just my personal guesstimate of what's BPD and what isn't... Where's your guesstimate of yes it's probably BPD vs no it's probably not...?
Teasel
VIP Member
I don't really consider it my business to diagnose others.
Ecdysis
Sponsor
I don't mean in terms of diagnosing anyone else... But in terms of understanding what BPD is and isn't.
I think given there's so much misinformation about it, it's quite hard to get an accurate grasp of what it is and when it would apply...
I also wonder if, like other things, it's maybe a spectrum... Ranging from mild BPD to more severe... And whether it's also similarly a case of being more/ less symptomatic depending on how stable someone is or whether there are a lot of life stressors currently.
I think given there's so much misinformation about it, it's quite hard to get an accurate grasp of what it is and when it would apply...
I also wonder if, like other things, it's maybe a spectrum... Ranging from mild BPD to more severe... And whether it's also similarly a case of being more/ less symptomatic depending on how stable someone is or whether there are a lot of life stressors currently.
Midnightmoon
Diamond Member
It's this bit that feels such poor practice
No one should end up with a BPD diagnosis after a 25 mins phone call with very little psychiatric history. That's appalling, both PTSD and personality disorders are 'big' and complicated labels and they should be achieved following significant assessment, history talking, feedback from other clinicians involved etc. I don't know what the answer is because I know this happens almost as a routine within services now but that doesn't make it ok @hypervigilant and I'm so sorry you've got this fight on your hands.
Have you looked at the diagnosis criteria online, it's broad, but might help you lock down some core examples as to why you feel the diagnosis is incorrect. It might not be formal (I really, really hope it's not formal) if it's one triage nurses opinion it's easier for it to be questioned and thought through more.
