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Does this sound like Borderline personality disorder?

6 replies

Holidayshopping · 10/03/2019 15:08

DH has suffered from depression for years but I’m starting to wonder more recently if it’s something else.

Things such as

A disproportionate reaction to things, eg the state of the country at the moment. Total venom towards the government and the rich and wanting to move thousands of miles to be away from other people.

Hiding from the world when he’s struggling to cope-by sitting in the study doing his hobby for hours on end. He agrees this is total escapism.

Total overreaction to things (mainly) I’ve said or the kids have said-it comes from out of nowhere. He gets in a huge rant but deflects it all onto us. He comes out with a totally disproportionate reaction to something someone has said and then talks really slowly to me like I’m an idiot-saying the same thing repeatedly and not listening to anyone. When we all look a bit confused (as this has literally come out of nowhere) he says we are all patronising him and talking to him like he’s stupid. He does a lot of ‘your confidence in me is overwhelming, thanks’ or ‘I can’t believe you would think that of me’.

He blames me for things-eg yesterday I came back and there was a basket of damp washing next to the drier. I queried what it was. I had gone out and left washing in the drier, apparently, he split something on his jumper so washed it and had to take stuff out of the washing machine to put his stuff in. He said he had nowhere to put it, except in the drier, so just took the stuff out of it (still wet). I wasn’t cross, just trying to identify what the wet clothes were in the basket. He got all defensive and said I should have put the tumble drier on for longer and then said because I’d phoned him when he was doing it, he got it wrong. I get lots of, ‘oh, that’s another thing I’ve done wrong.’ It sounds so silly but really-he miust have felt the washing and saw it was still wet?? I never moan at him for doing anything wring, I would have just loaned, but it was turned round to being my fault! Another incident yesterday-I was clearing away the dinner, dropped something which bounced off a plate onto the floor, knocked a coke bottle over and a load of packets of crisps went onto the floor! I then tried to put the then I was holding (hands full-probably why it happens) into the dishwasher but he was right behind my trying to put a plate in there. He heard my noise (laugh-possibly slightly exasperated with myself) assumed I was cross with him for being in my way, accused me of being in his way, and shouted at me for being cross. I was about to say I felt like I was Frank Spencer-it was a bit farcical with me dropping things and then knocking stuff over and I honestly thought he was going to say something funny, but he just started shouted at me. I explained and asked him to stop shouting at me, at which point he said he wasn’t (despite teen DD agreeing he was) then we are all getting at him.

So we have lots of things like this, where I’m not cross but he perceives me as being cross so gets all defensive and crows himself. He can shout and strop and show all emotions he likes, but if I raise one eyebrow, he decides I’m really cross which he feels is really unreasonable. I can’t win. I feel like I have shut down all emotions now when he is there as it’s just easier. If I moan about work-that’s validation to him that we should move away as the Government is to blame, so I now don’t tell him anything. If I ever ask him to do anything around the house, he says I’ve asked him in the wrong way and he picks fault. He can’t tell me how I could ask though-I just get it wrong.

He is extremely overweight-I am starting to think he actually has an eating disorder. He seems to have no off switch.

Does this sounds like borderline personality disorder? Or depression? Or is he just being a twat.

I feel numb sometimes-I have repressed my feelings and thoughts for so long, when I stop and think sometimes, the tears just pour down my cheeks. Every holiday we have is ruined because he starts arguments and shouts people down-I end up trying to steer conversations away from certain things when we have friends or family there just for an easy life. I was wondering if I was depressed, but I don’t think I am-I’m just very unhappy :(

There are so many things, that have been going on for so long-i don’t know where to start.

OP posts:
Holidayshopping · 10/03/2019 15:13

i never moan at him for doing anything wring, I would have just loaned

So many mistakes-that should be wrong and laughed.

Sorry this is so long. Well done if you make it through...

OP posts:
Tomtontom · 10/03/2019 15:14

BPD.

Autism.

Just a twat.

Could be all or none of the above.

I feel numb sometimes-I have repressed my feelings and thoughts for so long, when I stop and think sometimes, the tears just pour down my cheeks.

Could also be symptomatic of BPD!

This is why internet diagnosis is such a bad thing. It's based on a few characteristics that you have selected to put forward, with no wider context or insight into the individual's thinking, or their medical and familial history. It's a very bad idea.

smurfy2015 · 10/03/2019 16:01

This is worth going to GP with, first instance support for you. Has he always been like this thru the years esp since he has had depression or has this been getting worse in recent times (last few years)

There may be a carers support group you can access, possible medication, probably a long list for counselling which expects everything to be ok in 6/10 weeks but an outlet for you when it eventually comes around.

In the second instance, your DH needs to contact his MH team as he needs further support, now I know due to cuts he may not be with one so its back to the GP to review his medication.

Im going to assume he is on anti-depressants, have they been changed in recent times that this is getting worse, are you sure he is actually taking them is another factor.

The thoughtlessness such as taking stuff out of the dryer to dry his jumper and leaving the stuff to be dried to the side and not actually putting it on again.

You "ask in the wrong way", simply breathing may be the wrong way too. There is no win on this one. Can't look at him cos it will be wrong, there is no winner of this one either.

After the "explosion" comes the shutdown" saying the same thing repeatedly and not listening to anyone. Im goes to guess he is trying to curl up and in his head wants to push people away when he is actually wanting them close - Go, don't leave me alone phase.

Yes, it could be BPD, it could be autism, it could be Twattism, it could be many other things.

We are behind keyboards and none of us can tell you, but my advice and see your GP as you may be depressed as you say really unhappy but antidepressants may help for situational depression,

my advice is to check he is taking the antidepressants as prescribed, if on the same ones a long time he may not be getting the same effect (the good) if things have gotten worse and he has got a tolerance to them., it would be time for a review with GP who can work to try and help this from that side.

Hold on in there, keep posting for support

Holidayshopping · 10/03/2019 16:11

Thank you for the replies-he was on anti depressants years ago but came off them and has been fine for ages. He is still cross about them as they really stuffed him getting any health cover/life insurance afterwards.

I don’t even know where to start with this-I can’t just blurt out with ‘do you think you might have a personality disorder’ and going to the GP it mental health team would involve him accepting there is a problem.

I think he just thinks he’s right and we’re all getting at him.

OP posts:
ideasofmarch · 10/03/2019 16:20

I wonder whether there might be issues at work. Passed over for promotion maybe, or an awkward new boss, or the threat of redundancy?

smurfy2015 · 10/03/2019 17:12

Maybe try it from the "im worried about you", do you think you might be depressed? Depression can show itself in different ways. That you don't like seeing him so upset and annoyed and want to help. That opens things up a bit.

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