Psych assessment

[Onepillmakesyousmaller]

I’m having a private psychiatric assessment, mostly because my family want me to. They are worried about BPD. They showed me the diagnosing criteria which yes, if forced to confront my behaviour, I’d agree I do meet most of.

My question is, do I tell the psych that? That they wanted me to have the assessment because of that? Or do I just answer their questions and not mention BPD? I’ve never had an assessment so not really sure what to expect.

The psych will ask you a lot of questions
Given what you answer he/she will have an idea. Probably give you meds to take and a follow up 2 weeks later to see how your getting on with meds.
May not diagnose on first appt

Thanks @granadagirl that’s reassuring. So I don’t need to worry about taking the list of “symptoms” they made and just let the psychiatrist ask their questions?

Dont actively try for a bpd label youll experience stigma for life. Im concerned why your family are pushing you into psych assessment. Why private?

Private because of the NHS waiting times.

They’re concerned because of worsening impulsive behaviour and worsening mood swings. Something tiny and irrelevant will send me into a rage. I’m swinging between loving them and hating them.
If they let me down - for example, one promised to text me one night and didn’t; I self harmed and raged for a day about it. That they must hate me and not want anything to do with me anymore. I’m in tears at the school gate because I see my one mum friend has been for coffee with someone else.
I have no idea who I am. I feel like a chameleon wearing different faces for everyone. Even my daughter commented I use different voices depending on who I’m with.

In the brief moments I can objectively look at it, I don’t feel like this is a normal way to feel.

Women with ASD are often misdiagnosed with BPD. Might be worth reading up on ASD, and also on "masking" behaviours in people with autism.

That does sound very bpd.
But you would benefit from private therapy more than a psychiatrist. Though they may give you meds which help there is no treatment specifically for bpd. Plus the diagnosis will exclude you from many mental health services even for different diagnoses because you will be seen as attrntion seeking and manipulative x

@cailleach I will look that up thanks.

@70sbaubles I didn’t realise a diagnosis could exclude you from other treatments, that’s definitely something I need to be aware of. I guess I’m clutching at straws that a diagnosis would be a step forward.

It will and wont. You will be pointed to certain therapies but you could access them anyway. Dbt and cat are supposed to be good x