Being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder

[GeordieBadger]

Hi everyone.

I took an overdose of dimazepan on Saturday night. Spent the night in A&E after police broke my door down.

I've not been offered any support but I've booked an appt to see the doc next week (it was booked 3 weeks ago!)

I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression at age 16 and pretty much given various antidepressants over the years. Various counselling. I am now 33. I am convinced I have BPD. I match all the symptoms and its runs in my family.

How easy is it to get a diagnosis, and then what happens next?

Thanks everyone.

You need a psychiatrist to diagnose and the treatment offered is patchy at best I'm afraid.

Tell us more about your changes in mood. How often, how much, are there any triggers?

Sorry you've been going through such a tough time Geordie, have you been seen by your local mental health team before? I'd explain your concerns to the GP and ask for a referral to the psychiatrist as they're the only ones that can diagnose bpd. Unless the GP thinks it's urgent, it might be a bit of a wait though.
Ideally you'd be treated with a combination of medication and therapy but it often depends on what is available in your area.
Are you on any meds at the moment?

A bpd diagnosis is quite a tricky one.

You'll need a psychiatrist to make the diagnosis. I was diagnosed with bipolar II and strong traits of bpd, as time has gone on and I've had lots of therapy it has become pretty obvious that I have bpd rather than bipolar. However, the diagnosis doesn't matter so much now rather than the treatment and way I deal with situations iyswim.

Pp are right, good treatment for bpd is patchy at best.

Professor yes there are triggers, but my emotional response is often very disproportionate. For instance, the overdose on Saturday night was because I couldn't find some people in a bar that I had arranged to meet (I was trying to make new friends).

Magpie I'm on Sertraline antideporessant at the moment. I think a mood stabilizer might be a better alternative?

Personally I found antidepressants made my mood fluctuations worse.

A mood stabiliser like lamotrogine worked really well for me.

Kitty are there any side effects? Do you need a diagnosis of BPD or bipolar to get lamotrogine?

Um, there are a few side effects but none of them effected me iyswim.

I was prescribed it a good few years ago when it wasn't licenced specifically for use as a mood stabiliser so it had to be prescribed by a consultant psychiatrist. I had/have a bipolar diagnosis and I assume you need one or need to be in the process of a diagnosis to get it.

Saying that I have been med free for just over 4 years now, I manage my moods with therapy, diet, exercise and reduced stress levels. It's been a long road getting to know myself, accepting my limitations and working hard on looking after myself. The stress reduction is not always possible, I now work part time which is not an option for some people.

It is possible to come out the other side and live a 'normal' life.

My friend has bpd and was prescribed lamotrogine, she found it very helpful. Like all psych meds though it's often trial and error as to what will work for you.

No meds are recommended for bpd treatment so they are usually prescribed for other disorders like depression etc. The 'treatment' depends on where you are, how busy the local teams are and how bad you are. I am lucky in that I have excellent crisis support but nothing specific for bpd. Still too unstable to access the psychological therapies so kind of in limbo. The diagnosis was done by a clinical psychologist whilst I was in hospital over several weeks of talking and stuff.

Geordie,
Yes, over-reacting does seem to be part of me as well. Little things that really should not be a bother can and often send me off.. Today I got the tome for my appointment at the nurse wrong, (simple wash lut the wax in my ears).. It sent me into a spiral of panic and anxiety for most of the day.

As others have said, getting the right meds is more trial and error than measurement and rectify... I have a stash of Valproate Semi Sodium.../ Valproaic Acid.. It helps me calm down from my manic side.. The nice thing is that it is not addictive and has a fairly short half life.. so a couple of days and I am clean again..

One thing I have learned is that I am a manic depressive. I can't not be a manic depressive. Indeed, it is probably easier to have a sex change than stop being me. I have learned to love myself for all my excesses.