Used to have a Bipolar diagnosis, now Borderline

[Mouse]

I've literaly just come back fom seeing my psyciatrist. In the past I have been diagnosed with depression, cyclothymia, bipolar II and now borderline.

I asked my doctor for information on it but I couldn't get much out of him. It seems the reason I've been diagnosed with it is because I self harm and because my moods swing so rapidly- sometimes I can be fine and then get severly depressed for an hour.

Can anyone tell me anything about borderline? I really don't know a lot.

I've heard of a fear of abandonment. When my boyfriend mentioned going to uni I did go a bit... and said we should break up and cried and felt useless and that he'd go to uni and find someone else etc etc. Could that be related?

I used to have a best friend who I had a love hate relationship with. When things got rocky I took an overdose and he dropped contact with me...



Any information is appreciated. I want to know what it feels day to day to be borderline. I'm not sure at all of my diagnosis since I've been through so many. Even my doctor said bipolar is still a possibility.

 

[mad as a hatter]

sounds so familiar i,ve got both bipolor and borderline a lot off it is 2 do with self harm and my anger outbursts i have at times there,s loads of info on the net about borderline try that and also there,s others on here with borderline that,ll be able 2 help u 2

 

[Gail]

I Have both borderline and bp I can identfy with wot you have posted You need to self educate yourself The NICE guidelines are a good start A long read but very informative Just Google blpd and loads will come up. Dont know if you have a cpn/sw if so get them involed BLPD dx can be a bit of a **** to have. Some people see people who have this dx as attention seeking and you may come across this attitude. Im not going to lie to you if can be hard. There are some good self help books about they have been mentioned on other posts on here.
good luck
Let us know how you get on
ps if you wanna pm me feel free

 

[firemonkee57]

http://kieralexandra.googlepages.com/home

 

[Watercolours]

In truth avoid the internet when it comes to reading about anything to do with mental health, buy a book and sit down and read it properly or visit the library and see if you can get hold of one.

A good one I recommend for BPD is Borderline Personality for Dummies and it's a pretty cheap purchase...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Borderline-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266698224&sr=8-1

It will tell you everything you need to know!

I was DX with BPD because of things in my childhood, my rapid cycling moods, fear of abandoment, self harm, anger and other issues.

There are nine points to BPD and to get a diagnosis you need to match five of the criteria according to the DSM-IV

Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Note: Do not include suicidal or self-injuring behavior covered in Criterion 5

A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.

Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.

Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., promiscuous sex, eating disorders, binge eating, substance abuse, reckless driving). Note: Do not include suicidal or self-injuring behavior covered in Criterion 5

Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, threats or self-injuring behavior such as cutting, interfering with the healing of scars (excoriation) or picking at oneself.

Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days).

Chronic feelings of emptiness

Inappropriate anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights).

Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation, delusions or severe dissociative symptoms

You can always ask to see copies of your medical records, letters and correspondence that your psych has sent to your GP, it would give more information as to how and why the psych has given such a diagnosis... also ask for another appointment, go armed with questions you want answering.