What Psychological/ Psychiatric Disorder Have You Been Diagnosed With?

[Lucycat]

I have been reading elsewhere about a link between Bipolar disorder and childhood abuse. It has made me wonder just how many different disorders are diagnosed because of sexual trauma.

Personally I was diagnosed with Complex PTSD. I know many people with Borderline Personality Disorder are thought to have experienced trauma in early life. I have also read about psychotic episodes/ schizophrenia being linked to trauma. Another is anorexia and then there is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Some people develop agoraphobia, claustrophobia - and many other phobias.

It seems to me the list is endless, and I do wonder how many are true diagnoses and how many are simply the diagnostician choosing the first one that comes to his mind - his favourite if you like. I am not meaning to question or belittle anybody's personal diagnosis, I am just curious as to why sexual trauma presents in so many different ways.

 

[rightkindofme]

I have had some clinicians say bipolar disorder and some say clearly not. I have consistently had PTSD come up as a label for more than a decade. Generalized Anxiety Disorder. While taking western meds I was told I was a borderline schizophrenic. Luckily when I came off the meds the voices went away.

 

[Meadowsweet]

I was very anti psychology when I was younger and refused to see a counselor. Instead I had drug issues and was just off the rails, which I think is diagnosed as general messed up-ness :confused:.

It wasn't until I was attacked in my thirties that I developed symptoms severe enough to drag myself to the doctors. However, i think the symptoms were more pronounced because by that age, I was a clean, responsible mother, rather than a good for nothing, druggie teenager who believed that the adult world was full of crap.

I feel that the time of life played a part in me going for help and also the symptoms that I displayed. I think if I had gone as a teenager, I wouldn't have been able to be honest with myself or the psychologist, and would have shown a lot of dysfunctional personality traits. And this is my problem with diagnoses, especially in young people who have been referred for treatment by home or school (as I was), before they are anywhere near ready.

In my thirties, I was diagnosed with PTSD, dissociative symptoms, severe anxiety and moderate/severe depression.

 

[Lucycat]

I think is diagnosed as general messed up-ness :confused:.

I couldn't find that in the DSM-5. Perhaps it will be in the next version?

From just your 2 comments it is already showing an array of diagnoses. This is what I was sort of thinking.I think it should be essential for Police, prosecutors and courts to be aware of the scope of damage that sexual abuse does. I bet they have no real idea - just that it 'upsets' people!

 

[rainbow1]

I have only ever been diagnosed with depression. I think that has a lot to do with only really seeking therapy privately and not through my GP. I think if my GP knew what was going on I would no doubt have some labels attached by now.

My current T has hinted at dissociative disorders, however, he knows I am extremely fearful of being labelled as anything as I have always felt it would affect my ability to find jobs. Therefore, he has never pushed the matter. I cope well now without any medication so I rarely see my GP for anything mood related anymore. I was on antidepressants for a while but nothing now.

 

[chant2012]

I have often asked myself. I think a lot of it is from many different factors playing into the equation of "Diagnosis". I think there are many people who have diagnosis of BPD, bipolar, depression, OCD, etc. who have no trauma history at all. I think in their case, it would probably be pathological and genetic. But on the other hand, in many cases of these diagnoses, the person DOES have a trauma history and I believe that indeed does play a huge role in their diagnosed disorder(s).

I also think it might be a combination of both things... Pathological/genetic (the person may or may not have received such and such diagnosis with or without the trauma because the predisposition was already there). But when you throw in trauma to the mix, I think that just increases your chances of developing such diagnoses... If you are already predisposed then the trauma can trigger the developing of such disorders.

My DX:

• ADHD - age 9
• Depression - age 10 or around the same time as ADHD dx
• Anxiety - age 10 or around the same time as ADHD and depression dx
• PTSD - age 21
• Possible BPD (as stated by a couple different T's)
• Dissociative symptoms- (Currently have no dx but have been told by my T that I have been using depersonalization and derealization a lot lately and I have even had a few times where I "blacked out"... I lose all sense of time it seems. I feel little and small and scared inside... She said I could very well have some type of DD. I fall somewhere on the spectrum but for now we don't know where. I am OK with that. I just am dealing with the symptoms as of now. That's the most important part anyway right?
• (Self-dx) OCD lol... But for real. It's REALLY bad and interferes with my life and job a lot.

But I feel they are all pretty accurate.

 

[Mojo]

Panic disorder, anxiety disorder and borderline personality disorder before the age of 12. Then at 16 ptsd and depression. And at 22 depersonalization disorder. Then last year (age 25) I got a new psychiatrist and was diagnosed with ptsd, chronic depression, and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified

I believe ptsd is likely the main diagnosis for most survivors and everything else is a symptom of that. Borderline personality disorder, anxiety and panic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, agoraphobia and claustrophobia can all be explained by trauma. The problem is I don't think enough people see sexual abuse as trauma

 

[chant2012]

I fit the S/S for BPD but my T said she doesn't like labels and that she thinks BPD can be a "catch-all" diagnosis. She said that she doesn't like to focus on the diagnosis/label too much but rather on the S/S of the trauma and whatever comes along with it... But I do fit the S/S for BPD but she won't diagnose me, which is fine I guess. She said that my S/S come from trauma and even though/if I do fit the S/S for BPD, it's due to trauma and we will work on the aftereffects, not a label...