Help

[sj95_x]

I've recently been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. I don't really no much about it apart from what I've read on the internet can some one please ahead some light on it for me please

[Allestklar123]

Hi

It's a very individual diagnosis. It sort of means you a nearly able to be diagnosed with clinical depression, or bipolar or schizophrenia or something else but you don't quite meet the criteria. It's quite hopeful. Focusing on a diagnosis is sometimes not helpful, although understandable. The diagnosis recognises the real distress that you have been experiencing. There are support groups. You are a person. You have a life. You have things you enjoy. You also have a diagnosis but it is a small part of who you are. I'm dyslexic and so some things are harder for me than other people. Its sort of the same with a mental health diagnosis. It is something I have to manage. It sometimes makes it more difficult for me than other people.

I hope this helps you. It is my interpretation of the diagnosis. It might help to talk to others who have the same diagnosis. I feel that the Internet information is sometimes not helpful. Mind have good information and so does Rethink. There are videos of people who live with mental illness and a guy called Jonny Stanton makes a video blog.

Again I hope this helps.

Ally

[Hidden]

Hi I'm afraid I can't help as I don't suffer with bpd. But I do agree with Ally and don't worry too much about labels. There are lots of good books around but it sounds to me like you need to meet with others like yourself. Is this possible? Are you on any meds and/or counselling? x

[sj95_x in reply to Hidden]

Hi both thanks for the replies you have both given. Am on 100mg sertaline.. And diazepam in the day and have been give circridin and Zopiclone for the evening.. Am also waiting for psychologist to be involved to but at the moment i have the crisis team from the hospital who visit me 1 a day everytime x

[secondhandrose2]

Hi

BPD is a diagnosis which means you don't fit into any of the diagnoses such as reactive depression or anxiety as you also have some aspects of more disturbed diagnoses but are not psychotic. The usual way of thinking is that in some respects people with BPD can be well adjusted and 'normal' (whatever that means!) but that in certain aspects of their life they are out of touch with the reality of the situation, quickly falling back into familiar ways of thinking that go back to childhood. A large proportion of people with a BPD diagnoses have been abused physically, emotionally or sexually and others come from families where there was a varied quality of parenting and other experiences in childhood with some aspects good alongside some that may have been chaotic or difficult for the child to make sense of such as parents who were rigid, or abused alcohol or gave contradictory explanations of events. Medics often take the view that BPD is biological with a genetic basis however evidence relating to abuse suggests early experiences play a part in the development of Borderline emotions, thoughts and behaviours. The day to day life of someone with a diagnoses of BPD can be difficult as there can be a tendency to switch from all black to all white and back again very rapidly one moment finding a person good but when the person hurts or annoys them then thinking they are bad - it is an all or nothing way of thinking and as a result it can be hard to sustain relationships. All relationships have aspects that are good and bad and if we love someone we will sometimes hate them, learning to understand the role childhood experiences play in the way we see the world can help people with a BPD diagnoses to learn to think more deeply about their experiences with the person and not just focus on the hurtful one. Therapies based upon learning to think about experience can be helpful but the difficulty is that the therapist or therapy is seen as not being helpful whenever the relationship becomes difficult and as a result change can be hard to achieve and therapy tends to be long term. You may find that writing about your early experiences here and accepting feedback from us can help you to understand where your reactions are not based upon the reality of the situation, some of us have already found that helpful.

Suex