(UK answers needed) Getting a BPD diagnosis / help with my moods

[JAM_90]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum, so please bare with me on this one...

So, I have been having problems with my mental health for many years. I have been getting treated for social anxiety / depression for a long time, with varied success.

I have always been pretty unstable in my life, depending on stressors, but one area of my life I have struggled with is in my relationships. I have very low self esteem, very sensitive to criticism, and have a fear of rejection/abandonment, which seems to always be in the background.

I struggle with regulating my moods, and this can change often. I can be in a relatively good mood for example, and lets say a love interest doesn't text me back for a full day or few hours my mood immediately drops. What worries me is the severity of the mood, its not just fleeting mild irritation/annoyance, its anger, rejection and really low mood. Its like all my value is tied to this person, and I don't know who I actually am.

Also, I immediately jump to conclusions, and that person can go from being a lovely person, to horrible, and "what if they are ignoring me" what a vile person. There is no in between.

I struggle to regulate my moods, and I am very rarely continually optimistic or motivated.

One day I can be full of hope, have structure in my head, and the next day I feel nothing, no inclination to reach my goals nothing at all.

Its very frustrating, and then I usually get agitated and depressed. Which leads to me drinking a lot (alcoholism) to cope.

I'm currently on Sertraline for Depression / Anxiety, but it isn't working so well. I've had 3 different types of antidepressants but they don't work.

I think what I need is a diagnosis / assessment, and a mood stabilizer.

How easy is it to get on the NHS? I assume that it will be very hard to get help/treatment on the NHS for a personality disorder?

 

[Susie28]

I could have written your description of your relationships, mood, depression etc. I've spent 30 years living with depression to varying degrees and only recently given a possible diagnosis of BPD which has become more extreme over the last year.

You need to push for support and sadly it is not always forthcoming - we all know the funding issues in the NHS but be persistent eventually hopefully you will find the help you need.

I hope you and I both find the help and treatment needed. I'm trying to research a little and hope this forum helps too and returned to work today.

 

[JAM_90]

I could have written your description of your relationships, mood, depression etc. I've spent 30 years living with depression to varying degrees and only recently given a possible diagnosis of BPD which has become more extreme over the last year.

You need to push for support and sadly it is not always forthcoming - we all know the funding issues in the NHS but be persistent eventually hopefully you will find the help you need.

I hope you and I both find the help and treatment needed. I'm trying to research a little and hope this forum helps too and returned to work today.

My GP that I usually see seems to be dismissive. How would I go about actually discussing it?

I don't want to just lead into the conversation, and say, "I think I have BPD". I also can't actually recollect specific examples that demonstrate my experience, but the diagnostics and stuff on the nhs website fit me to a tee.

Also, I am mindful of the Covid virus, and apparently its going to be harder to get a GP appt right now, and I have also ran out of Sertraline, so its hard right now.

I would really like to be prescribed a mood stabiliser, but I dunno how likely that is without diagnosis? Can a GP prescribe anti-psychotics without that?

 

[mami5]

Hi, I was prescribed low dose antipsychotics before being diagnosed, still take them, they are suppose to help with anxiety. There is no specific medication for BPD and the recommended therapy is DBT, but you would need a diagnosis first for that.

 

[JAM_90]

Hi, I was prescribed low dose antipsychotics before being diagnosed, still take them, they are suppose to help with anxiety. There is no specific medication for BPD and the recommended therapy is DBT, but you would need a diagnosis first for that.

Does the medication help with your moods? If so how do you feel different on them? Did your GP prescribe then?

 

[Nukelavee]

I'm on a low dose of anti-psychotic, like, the bare minimum. It kind of takes the edge off my worse moods. It's not so much I'm calmer, I just don't care enough about a lot of the little triggers enough to act. Like, it's too much effort to be worked up.

Mind you, my motivation has dropped a bit, too.

 

[JAM_90]

I'm on a low dose of anti-psychotic, like, the bare minimum. It kind of takes the edge off my worse moods. It's not so much I'm calmer, I just don't care enough about a lot of the little triggers enough to act. Like, it's too much effort to be worked up.

Mind you, my motivation has dropped a bit, too.

Which medication do you take out of interest? I take antidepressants for anxiety and depression but I find it barely touches the surface. I think this is partly to do with my fluctuations in mood than anything else.

 

[WhySoSerious]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum, so please bare with me on this one...

So, I have been having problems with my mental health for many years. I have been getting treated for social anxiety / depression for a long time, with varied success.

I have always been pretty unstable in my life, depending on stressors, but one area of my life I have struggled with is in my relationships. I have very low self esteem, very sensitive to criticism, and have a fear of rejection/abandonment, which seems to always be in the background.

I struggle with regulating my moods, and this can change often. I can be in a relatively good mood for example, and lets say a love interest doesn't text me back for a full day or few hours my mood immediately drops. What worries me is the severity of the mood, its not just fleeting mild irritation/annoyance, its anger, rejection and really low mood. Its like all my value is tied to this person, and I don't know who I actually am.

Also, I immediately jump to conclusions, and that person can go from being a lovely person, to horrible, and "what if they are ignoring me" what a vile person. There is no in between.

I struggle to regulate my moods, and I am very rarely continually optimistic or motivated.

One day I can be full of hope, have structure in my head, and the next day I feel nothing, no inclination to reach my goals nothing at all.

Its very frustrating, and then I usually get agitated and depressed. Which leads to me drinking a lot (alcoholism) to cope.

I'm currently on Sertraline for Depression / Anxiety, but it isn't working so well. I've had 3 different types of antidepressants but they don't work.

I think what I need is a diagnosis / assessment, and a mood stabilizer.

How easy is it to get on the NHS? I assume that it will be very hard to get help/treatment on the NHS for a personality disorder?

Welcome! Hope I can help here.

Firstly there is no evidence that mood stabilisers work for BPD. It can treat comorbidities but th condition itself has no medication that is deemed efficacious.

The first thing any mental health professional will do is tell you to stop the alcohol use. If that means you have to go to an alcohol and drug service then so be it. Most services will say that until you stop using they will not help because you are masking the symptoms and interventions will likely fail without a clear picture of the problem.

As for treatment for BPD it depends on which area you go to. The evidence is for either Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) or Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Both ae very expensive for the NHS so unless you have an established diagnosis and severe impairment in daily functioning (at least two of the following... housing, employment, relationships, health outcomes etc) you will likely be given something that is "informed" by DBT but not a full program.

In my area the eligibility for DBT is actually very narrow and can lead people to engage in riskier behaviours to be eligible (sadly). The fact is the NHS will have to pay for a face to face (1:1) and a group program for a year so I can see why they want to limit the access.

We need to bare in mind that moodiness and relationship problems in themselves don't mean you have BPD. Many people have problems with these areas so you must also have problems with a sense of self, attachment difficulties, trauma (often) and severe self-injury before they diagnose you. Of course many diagnose without those just to shut you up so be careful that you are getting the right treatment not a treatment that just gets you out of the door.

Sorry to be blunt but I like being direct and honest

 

[Orphanannie89]

I feel like I have just read about me. I spend hours and i mean hours flitting between Facebook and WhatsApp checking up on certain people and when i see them as active i wonder why they are not talking to me and my mood will be extreme to the point i go to bed and cant function but I will still check my phone then I will post something on Facebook and only set it so certain people will see it because I believe hearing from them will make me feel better. It's really debilitating

 

[Char3]

Go to the doctors, say you think it you have BPD and ask for a psychiatrist assessment. If your doctor is a bit of a knob then see another doctor x